Urban and Regional Planning 305 University of Wisconsin-Madison
PUBLIC POOL ACTIVISTS MADISON, WISCONSIN	Where’s Our Pool? The Madison Pool Activists Geog. 305, Disc. 301 The city of Madison has always had a reputation as a really good city to live in. It currently graces a number of “Top Ten” lists, securing Food and Wine’s “#1 Star Farmers’ Market”, Men’s Health’s “Best City for Men”, Midwest Living’s “Friendliest City in the Midwest.” Money Magazine went so far as to designate it “Best Place to Live in America” in 1996 and “Best Mid-Sized City to Live in the Midwest”. One of the “Top Ten” lists that Madison is unfortunately a far cry from, however, is the “Top Ten Swimming Cities.” Why? Well, we don’t even have a public pool. And that’s a crying shame, given all the great benefits that a public pool would have for the community. While most everyone agrees that swimming pools great fun for all ages, there are a number of other, lesser known advantageous effects that a public pool would grant Madison. For the health nuts (and Men’s Health would have us know, they’re out there), swimming is one of the healthiest activities around, able to exercise almost every muscle in the body. In fact, the BBC goes so far as to call it “a vital skill that every child should be taught.” Also, swimming minimizes impact, leading to less stress on joints and sports-related injuries. Slightly more subtle, however, are the amazing positive effects that swimming would have on the community fabric of Madison. It could be a great, safe, gathering point for people, especially children, who want to escape the heat during summer. Of course, everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy swimming, so a pool would increase community ties. Also, a large, easily accessible public pool would be a great way to cut across class and race boundaries. Herein lays possibly the greatest boon for the city of Madison – integration of the various social groups and families that would otherwise have no contact with each other. A public pool would help to unify Madison’s somewhat fragmented communities. Given Madison’s repute as a populist city, it seems a bit curious that there is no good public swimming pool. Where is one to go during the scorching summer days? Sure, there’s the “Y,” one of the high schools, or even a handful of private clubs with pools. You might try swimming in Lake Wingra or one of Madison’s other fine lakes… or maybe not. Local scientists estimate that during summer months, there are on average only 10 days of clear water in the city’s lakes. That leaves Middleton Pool, for those who are able and willing to drive that far. It’s really almost an embarrassment that the Madison, given its relative affluence, doesn’t have its own public pool yet. Madisonians have been asking for a pool for years and years now, but the city still hasn’t been able to find the funds for this. Given city hall’s enthusiasm for such large scale projects that would benefit Madison’s elite, such as Menona Terrace or the soon-to-be-completed Overture Center, one might expect it to give the rest of us a measly pool. But they say that the city can’t afford it? Well, Milwaukee has managed to fund twelve separate swimming pools and several wading pools, and they don’t seem to be rolling in money. When you come down to it, there is no plausible reason why Madison should not have at least one high-quality public pool. After a heated debate a decade ago over the long overdue Madison Public Swimming Pool, the issue was dropped and, more or less, forgotten by City Hall, which brings us to today. Mayor Dave has finally promised that construction will begin on one municipal pool in 2006 and on another in 2008. While this may appear promising, Sue Bauman made the same promise years ago, but she never followed through. So, it is vital that the community puts heavy pressure on city hall to make things happen. We have been denied far too long. Where’s our pool?
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