Friday, May 28, 2021

Bliss Pool will not open for the Summer 2021!

This letter was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Marjorie Morgan, a long time resident of Longmeadow.

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On the eve of the Memorial Day holidays many in Longmeadow received a E-mail from Longmeadow Parks and Recreation Dept.  The good news is that the Reynolds Pool at Greenwood will open June 16th.

And by the way, Bliss Pool will not open this year, hoping for "a stronger season next year".  What does that mean?  Stronger what?

While you think about this I can add a few things that come to my mind.

First, half the town is left with no open pool.  The Bliss Park playground is heavily utilized.  No swim for these kids.  Many of the kids who use this pool ride their bike there.  No one drives them.  Just look at the bike racks on a hot day.
 
Someone suggested, let me see if I can recall, the following.  The Longmeadow Country Club, the Field Club, the Yacht Club, the JCC and so on.
 
I shouldn’t need to point out these are expensive clubs to join.  Some  still by invitation?  If the parents can afford to join, they would need transportation.  Many parents work....biking is not a option for little children and not really safe for older ones.  Many younger kids arrive at Bliss with their baby sitter.

This has been a difficult year for our community and it’s children.  Schools were closed, opened, who knew what next.  Closing a well known loved activity simply does not make sense.

This plan results in economic discrimination as well as geographical. If you can’t pay you can’t play.  If you can’t get to the pool, well, wait for a “stronger" season.
 
Our community spoke out to Save Alex’s Bagel Shop....we did it.  Let the Select Board know how you feel.  Let the town manager know and ask Parks and Rec how we can be stronger!
 
This comes under the heading “ if it isn’t one thing it’s another”.  Don’t let this slip by.  We need to balance resources....!   
 
Marjorie Morgan
Longmeadow Resident

4 comments:

Unknown said...

They need staff!

BubbaP said...

Please please please! Kids of all ages want Bliss Pool open this summer! It has been such a difficult year! Let’s keep cool at Bliss Pool and not disappoint everyone! I hope the town will listen and open both pools as soon as possible!

Unknown said...

GREAT MEMORIES FOR MY FAMILY YEARS AGO IT MUST STAY OPEN PLEASE DO NOT DIVIDE lONGMEADOW
Anne O'Connor Hennessey

No free kindergarden said...

It is the poor communication by the Town surrounding this issue that is most troublesome. My child is going to be a lifeguard this summer, and I was told only 13 people applied - they need 30 to fully staff both pools. The woman running the interviews was unnecessarily nasty to my child (first job interview ever) and when a follow up email was sent, it was ignored, which is quite rude and unprofessional when you only have 13 applicants and need 30 bodies. Additionally, the paperwork offering the position stated the rate of pay at 11.99/hour,which is below minimum wage in MA and illegal (the dollar figure was filled out in live blue pen, so I know it was not photocopied and 2020 minimum wage was also above that figure).

I am not happy that my child will have to schlep down to Greenwood to work, when Bliss is within walking distance, and my younger child won’t be able to go to the pool at Greenwood because of the distance/working parents.

Additionally, I felt that the pool director was not being true when she said that they did outreach for lifeguards at the HS - there was nothing that I or any other teacher saw posted. I know that the Georgetown condos came to recruit at the JCC lifeguard course in April to solicit applicants, but the Town did not, which was poor.