University of Wisconsin-Madison
Urban Planning 305
Public Swimming
Pool Proposal
Policy Consultants Segment
Policy
Consultants: Jay Bigalke
Kris
Anderson
Michael Epp
As the policy
consultants to the public pool proposal of UW-Madison’s 2003 Urban Planning 305
class we are responsible for providing Madison’s
current public pool situation and comparing it to other North American cities
of a similar size and stature. Madison, Wisconsin
is a phenomenon unto itself as it is a state capital with a population of
208,000 without public swimming facilities. Cities of this size and nature
without public swimming facilities are a rarity in the United
States. The culmination of many economical,
social and political factors combines to leave Madison’s
residents without a public pool. Average summer temperatures in Madison
hover around eighty degrees Fahrenheit and yet its residents have no place to
seek relief. The four main lakes (Monona, Mendota, Wingra and Waubesa) that
encircle Madison have beaches that
are often times closed due to high bacteria levels.
Our
group’s posture is that a combination of economical, social and political
factors keeps Madison from getting
a public pool. The most prominent defense to a lack of a public swimming
facility is the presence of multiple lakes within a small area. According to
our group the primary economic reason that Madison
is still without a public pool is it that its average household income of about
$42,000. We theorize that this above-average average income translates to the
fact that the majority of Madison’s
residents have the ability to pay for and get to a private pool. The most
prevalent social factor is that Madison’s
population is 86% white and only 14% of minority origin. We believe that the Madison’s
policy makers can afford to overlook the issue because of the small minority
composition of the cities population. We believe that the primary political
reason why Madison has not received
a public pool is that the individuals with political sway and/or savvy can
afford to swim in private pools and are thereby unaffected by the plight of the
poorer “Madisonian.”
Madison, Wisconsin
Located
in south-central Wisconsin, Madison
is known for its progressive politics, status as the state capitol, location on
an isthmus, and it’s highly respected university. Madison
is also famous for its city park system, which includes over 4,000 acres of
land, impressive for a city of its size and it’s partially land locked status
on an isthmus. Considering the
atmosphere and environment of the city, one would expect the city to have a
public pool system; however, this is simply not the case. The city of Madison
doesn’t have a single public pool for its citizens, even though most of its
neighboring communities offer this service.
There appear to be a number of reasons as to why this might be the case,
which we’ll highlight here, as well as the options that do exist for people in Madison
who wish to cool off on a hot day or get some exercise.
Madison
is fortunate to be blessed with four lakes in the city, which theoretically
offer the option to swim from one of the cities beaches. Within the city of Madison,
there exist 13 public beaches, 10 of which have lifeguards stationed in
them. While in the past this may have
been a highly viable option for people in Madison,
this currently isn’t able to fit the need of the city. First off, the lakes have become polluted
more than is acceptable for swimming.
Anyone who has been around the lakes in the summer knows that they are
often full of algae, which is unpleasant at best. The beaches are also subject to sometimes
frequent closings because of high bacteria levels in the water. As a result of this, the city Health
Department is forced to test levels of bacteria at each of the beaches on a
daily basis. Besides the obvious health
factors, there is also the human comfort issue that should be noted. If the water near the beaches if full of
algae, people are simply not going to want to use the beaches. Another issue along these lines is that
unlike public pools, where water temperatures are kept at levels people are
comfortable in and don’t vary throughout the summer, lakes are obviously much
more subject to the whims of nature and may often be too cool for extended use,
even if the air temperature is much higher than normal.
Other
options besides the lakes do exist for people in Madison;
however they tend to favor those with the most resources. Within Madison, the University of Wisconsin
serves a large number of the cities citizens, and the University does have
pools available, which many students, staff, and faculty use, however, they are
geared towards training and exercise, rather than simple recreational, “cooling
off”, and lounging uses. People who can
afford live in the surrounding community of Shorewood Hills are able to use
their community pool and a small number of non-residents can join as well,
however at a cost out of the reach of many Madisonians. Other options for
people in Madison includes private health club pools, pools in communities such
as Middleton and Monona, and pools located in the public high schools (although
those are subject to similar limitations of UW pools). While these options exist, none of them are
good enough to replace the need of a public pool in Madison.
Besides
the presence of the lakes and their beaches, other possible reasons for why Madison
lacks a public pool system could be related to the relatively strong average
household income of about $42,000 and a relatively homogenous population when
it comes to diversity of color with only about 14% of Madison’s
population being minorities. With such a
large percentage of Madison’s population having the benefits of options when it
comes to having a place to swim, whether for exercise or merely cooling off,
and the number of people who don’t being a small enough percentage to be
ignored, it’s highly possible that for the average Madison citizen and those in
power in city government, its not an issue of much importance.
Grand
Rapids, Michigan
Grand
Rapids, Michigan, a city of
about 200,000, is located in west central Michigan,
near Lake Michigan.
Grand Rapids was chosen in
our study because it has a few similar characteristics to Madison,
WI.
However, there are a few differences between Grand
Rapids and Madison
which may help to explain the differences in their public swimming pool
situations. To put it simply, Grand
Rapids is much better off their public pool situation
than Madison is, which we’ll
explain later.
Grand
Rapids has a similar climate to Madison,
similar transportation system, and a similar population size, and of course is
a Midwestern city, the second largest city in Michigan. Grand Rapids
however is much more advanced in its public pool status, with 7 total public
pools, with 6 operating during the summer 2003 season. The public pools in Grand
Rapids are all outdoor pools and offer a wide variety
of amenities including wading pools for children, water slides, concessions, as
well as opportunities for activities such as swimming lessons. All pools are supervised by lifeguards as
well. The pools are located throughout
the city and for the most part offer relatively easy access for most citizens,
especially with the help of the public bus system that operates in Grand
Rapids. In
terms of the pools being available as a public health service, all of the pools
are open throughout the afternoon when heat is likely to be at its most intense
and are open again in the late evening until almost dark.
While
the public pools in Grand Rapids
are not free, they open to all, citizens and non-citizens alike and the
entrance fees are moderate. For youths,
the cost is $3, for adults $4. However,
there are season passes available, at the cost of $25 for youths and $35 for
adults. Family discount passes are also
available. For people who can’t afford
to pay the established fees, there is a program to reduce the cost of the
passes by 25-75%. As one can see, Grand
Rapids has done a good job of making the public pools
available to residents (and non-residents alike), they have also been able to
make them affordable for all people, which is an incredibly important feature
to public pools, seeing as they are part of the public good.
However,
not all is well within the Grand Rapids
Parks and Recreation Department,
which oversees the operation of the pools.
One of their 7 pools was forced to be shutdown for the 2003 operating
season because of deteriorating facilities as well as a lack of funds in the
budget to keep the pool operating. The
pool they closed, Garfield Pool, was the least used pool in terms of attendance
according to the city, however it was also located in a poorer part of town and
no the city declined to offer any sort of shuttle service to the nearest pool,
which is about 3 miles away. In the
days of budget cuts when it comes to services such as parks and recreation,
this isn’t surprising, but it highlights an important issue. The issue being that without being
self-sufficient, pools will not always be a priority for municipalities and may
be subject to periodical closings and deteriorating facilities. Another existing issue is the fact that on
the days when pools are needed most, the hottest days of the summer; lines
inevitably form at the most popular pools, which isn’t a good thing for people
who came to the pools to help cool down.
This situation can inevitably lead to people simply not going to the
pools on the hottest days or to them being forced to ride a bus to another
pool, which is far from ideal.
While
not perfect by any means, Grand Rapids
pool system offers a service that is obviously being taken advantage of by the
people of Grand Rapids and if a
large step above what the city of Madison,
WI has to offer. There exist a few
economic and cultural differences between Madison
and Grand Rapids however, which may
help to explain the differences between their public pool systems. Grand Rapids
has a average household income of almost $5,000 less than Madison,
but also has a slightly higher cost of living than Madison
does. A larger percentage of Grand
Rapids is made up of minorities than in Madison. Grand Rapids
also lacks the large university that Madison
has and along with that it’s associated students and large number of
professionals. All of this could be
interpreted to mean that the demand for a public pool in Grand
Rapids is simply higher than in Madison
and that voters are more likely to support a politician who is looking out for
this interest. A large percent of the
population in Madison has access to
the Universities pools and/or can afford to join private neighborhood
pools. Another feature of Grand
Rapids that would lead to more demand for a public
pool is its lack of water bodies suitable for swimming beaches. Pools are really the only option for swimming
in Grand Rapids.
Grand
Rapids has addressed and largely met the needs of it’s
citizens for public pools and seems to offer services fitting of a city of
200,000 in a progressive Midwestern state.
Eugene, Oregon
The city of Eugene,
Oregon is quite similar to Madison,
Wisconsin in regards to population size and
other similarities. This and other
cities are compared in the chart included in this report. The following looks in depth at some of the
details on Eugene, Oregon. The U.S. Census website was used to obtain
statistical data on the different aspects of the city and surrounding
area. The city of Eugene
provided additional information on their public pools and also local newspapers
had written articles on various aspects of the public pools. All of this is looked at in more detail in
this report.
The city of Eugene,
Oregon was selected for quite a
few reasons as it compares quite well to Madison,
Wisconsin.
Both cities are college towns, the University
of Oregon and University
of Wisconsin respectively. The overall city population is quite
comparable in size. Additionally, the
percentages of peoples of different races are also fairly similar, although, Eugene
has a slightly higher percentage of white residences. The main part that is the focus of this paper
is that Eugene has quite a few
public pools, while Madison has yet
to even establish a single public pool.
The area of Eugene
has other places in the vicinity for ways for people to cool off in the
summertime. An article published July 31, 2003 from the Oregon
Daily Emerald titled “Beat the Heat” took a look at other ways of cooling
off. In that article they state “A few
lakes and rivers in the area are also worth a dip. Triangle Lake is a popular swimming hole, as
is the Fern Ridge Reservoir, and rafting down the Willamette or the McKenzie
rivers might be a good way to cool off a bit.
Get off the Willamette before it reaches Portland,
however, as the area has a history of toxic waste dumping.” (Nyburg) This is definitely a unique comment when
relating it to the concerns about water safety in the lakes in Madison,
WI.
Additional natural waters located in Willamette
Valley in include: Blue
River Lake,
Cottage Grove Reservoir, Detroit Lake,
Dexter Lake,
Hill Creek Reservoir and the Santiam River.
(Nyburg) It is important to note that
the lakes and rivers mentioned are not within the city limits. Only the Willamette
river traverses through the Eugene
metro area, which is why it seems the public pools are quite popular and
abundant in the city. Eugene
is also situated fairly close to the ocean if people are looking to travel a
bit to cool off during the summertime.
Eugene
has four public pools and seven wading pools.
The four main pools are the Amazon, Sheldon, and Echo Hollow. According to the cities website, the Amazon
pool features a “50-meter x 25-yard pool, a 5-meter diving tower, one 3-meter
diving board, two 1-meter diving boards, and a drop slide. The facility also includes a multipurpose
pool, 0’-4’ deep, with interactive play features and a water slide, as well as
a beginner pool, sand play area and hot tub.”
The Sheldon pool features a “25-yard, 6-lane lap pool, a separate 36’ X
42’ diving well” and the Echo Hollow pool is “25 yards with six lanes and a
one-meter diving board. The outdoor pool
is 25 meters with six lanes and one-meter diving board.” The wading pools are open free of charge and
are operated under their “Summer fun for all” program. These wading pools are all located within a
community park. The admission rates and
other information on season passes can be found at http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/rec/aquatics/admissions.htm.
Local Articles on the Public Pools
In 2001, the
Amazon Pool in Eugene was renovated
and the local paper, The Register-Guard did a piece on the pool in
summer of 2002. There were quite a few
unique items describing how the reopening season went. They stated that “There haven’t been as many
full-to-capacity days – or the long lines that go with them – as there were in
the rebuilt pool’s inaugural season a year ago, but that’s because this June
just hasn’t been as hot and sunny.” (Mosely A1) Climate is definitely a factor that needs to
be considered in how much funding is placed on a pool. The article continues on and mentions the
current season and the fact that they just had the first full-to-capacity day,
which at the time was at the end of June.
The surprising part was the fact that the pools capacity is 1,038
swimmers. According to the article, the
pool that sees the most public use with 81.5 hours per week is the 50-meter lap
pool. With the different pools and
scheduling for different access the article reminds the citizens of Eugene,
“‘But it is a community pool. I becomes
a balancing act.’” (Mosely A1)
Additional useful information about the pools renovation was that it
cost $4.8 million and now has three pools at this one location. Other attractions like water slides, diving
boards, hot tub, sand box, and wading pool all add to the swimming experience
at the Amazon Pool complex.
Jan Montry for the
Oregon Daily Emerald wrote an article that outlined the pool summer
schedule. The article gave an overview
of the number of different features provided by each of the different pools
located in Eugene. One unique point that she brought up was that
the Amazon Pool “features the second largest pool on the West Coast.” (Montry)
Unique Look At Pool Location
The city of Eugene’s
public works website features a detailed map that outlines the twelve locations
that parks are at within the city limits.
This listing includes the main three large pools in Eugene
(numbered 6, 7, and 8 on the map). The
following maps look at three different aspects of the town’s population in
relationship with Persons per square mile, percent of people who are white, and
median family income. It is interesting
to note on a basic level the comparisons between the map of where the pools are
located in relationship to where the other statistics are. The first map looks at the persons per square
mile and it is plainly seen that the pools are placed within the populated
areas. The next map
looks at the percentage of the population that are white living in Eugene. Even thought the population of the town is
88% white, the pools seem to be placed in proximity to these areas.
The
last map looks at the distribution of median family income in the Eugene
metro area. The findings here lean
towards the pools being placed within the areas of a higher family income.
Akron, Ohio
Akron,
Ohio is comparable to Madison,
Wisconsin in terms of population size,
breakdown as well as climate. This part of the report will provide a number of
the particulars about Akron. The
most striking difference between Akron
and Madison is that the people of Akron
have access to multiple public swimming facilities. The major similarities
between these two cities will be examined in the following section of the
report.
Akron
was chosen as a city of comparison because of the number of similarities
between the two. Both Akron and Madison
have universities, albeit Madison’s
student population is much larger than Akron’s
of only approximately 17,000.
That being said it is
important to note that the city of Madison’s population is nearly equal to that of Akron’s.
Furthermore the population breakdown between these cities is comparable because
they are both predominantly white, although Akron
has a larger minority population.
Akron is
located in Summit County, Ohio
in the North-eastern region of Ohio.
This area of Ohio has a number of
waterways and lakes that Akron’s
citizens may use to get relief from high summer temperatures. However, just as Madison’s
beaches are often closed the ones in Akron
are as well because of high e-coli counts. Also, the majority of these water
bodies are not within the city of Akron
and therefore do not serve as alternatives for those without private transportation.
Akron
has a well-developed public transportation system wherein the majority of its
citizens are within a half-mile from a bus stop.
(-purple
refers to public transportation access within .5 mile). 
This is an important factor
because the public transportation system overlaps the lower income bracket of
the city. Having a means for the public to reach public swimming facilities is
a large battle in providing public pools because the usage of public facilities
often coincides with lower income households as stated earlier. 
Madison
already has a fully operational public transportation system and therefore
cannot use this as a defense for not having a public pool.
Akron has
three public swimming facilities within its city limits. Perkin’s Woods is
located in the western region of Akron.
Admission is free to the public and it is generally well-used during the summer
months. Reservoir Park
is located in the eastern region of the city and it is also free. It has a
capacity of approximately 350 people and it normally operates close to capacity
during the summer months. Lastly, Balch Pool- the indoor facility is located in
the central region of Akron and
cost $3.00 to enter. For further information about these facilities please
contact (330)375-2833. The following map provides a visual location of the
abovementioned facilities.
(17=Perkin’s Woods 19=Reservoir
Park)
Examining Akron
from an outside perspective I feel that the city is meeting, or at the very
least attempting to meet the needs of its citizens. Unfortunately for a large
segment of Madison’s population,
the City of Madison is not meeting
the needs of its citizens.
*The following chart is a quick
reference comparison between these four cities*
|
|
Madison,
WI
|
Eugene,
OR
|
Grand
Rapids, MI
|
Akron,
OH
|
|
Population
|
208,054
|
137,893
|
197,800
|
217,074
|
|
Minority
Population
|
84% White
5.8% Asian
5.8% Black
|
88% White
3.6% Asian
1.3% Black
|
67.3% White
20.4% Black
1.6% Asian
|
66.7% White
28.5% Black
1.2% Hispanic
0.9% American Indian
|
|
Environment
(areas other than pool to utilize)
|
Lake Mendota,
Lake Monona,
Lake Wingra
Lake Waubesa
|
Triangle Lake,
Fern Ridge Reservoir, and Willamette River
|
Grand River
|
3 beaches (often closed
because of high E-coli content)
|
|
Number
of public pools
|
0
|
3 pools
7 wadding pools
|
7 pools
|
3 pools
(2outdoor
&1indoor)
|
|
Cost
of using pools
|
N/A
|
Single visit costs:
Youth (3-17) $3
Adult (18+) $3.50
Family $7
Season passes are
available
|
Adult $4
Youth $3
Season passes are
available
|
Free outdoor
($3.00 Indoor Facility)
|
|
Public
Transportation
|
City bus,
Taxi service
|
Taxi service
|
City bus
|
City bus,
Taxi service
|
|
Colleges
|
University of Wisconsin
|
University of Oregon, Lane Community College
|
Calvin College,
Grand Valley State University extension
|
University of Akron
& 10 other
Universities/Colleges
|
|
Avg.
income of area
|
$41,941
|
$31,740
|
$37,224
|
$31,835
|
|
Owning
vs. Renting
|
47.7% owner
52.3% renter
|
51.8% owner
48.2% renter
|
59.7% owner
40.3% renter
|
59.4% owner
40.6% renter
|
|
City
tax
|
|
- - -
|
City Income Tax 1.3%
|
City Income Tax 2%
|
|
Media
outlets: newspapers
|
Badger Herald, Daily
Cardinal,
Capital Times,
Wisconsin State Journal
|
The Register-Guard, Eugene
Weekly, and University of Oregon – Oregon Daily Emerald
|
Grand Rapids Press
|
Akron Beacon Journal,
Canton Repository,
The Buchtelite (College
paper),
West Side Leader
|
|
Climate
|
Avg. Temp:
July 84F
|
Avg. Temp:
July 86.5F
|
Avg. Temp:
July 82F
|
Avg. Temp:
July 71.5F
|
As
the policy consultants to this report we have come to the collective conclusion
that Madison is not meeting the
needs of its citizens with respects to public swimming facilities. Popular
culture would have the general public believe that Madison
has a top-ranking Parks and Recreation department, alas this is not so. A
population of 208,000 going without relief in summer temperatures hovering 80oF
should be an embarrassment to city policy makers. Furthermore Madison
is failing to uphold its postured “progressive nature” in the eyes of North
America as well as the rest of the world. Tourists that visit Madison
must be appalled at the lack of interest shown by the city in providing public
swimming facilities to its inhabitants. We have provided this comparison in the
hopes that a renewed interest will be sparked in the hearts and minds of
Madisonians to lobby the city. As the City of Akron’s
Recreation Bureau states, a public swimming pool can “…increase
happiness…enhance community pride…provide a social arena and reduce stress.” Madison
would be wise to take a page out of their book and take an introspective look
as to whether or not they are truly meeting
the needs of their citizens.
Sources
Grand
Rapids, Michigan
http://www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=622
http://www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=463
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/parks/homepage.htm
http://www.cityofmadison.com/beaches/
Grand Rapids Press: Pool closing concerns Garfield neighbors, April 30th, 2003
Grand Rapids Press: Feeling the heat Forecasters say this could be the hottest
day of the year, August 1st, 2001
www.census.gov
Wisconsin State Journal: READY, SET, SWIM! ; WITH WARMER WEATHER - HOPEFULLY -
JUST AROUND THE CORNER, IT'S TIME TO MAKE PLANS TO RENEW SWIM MEMBERSHIPS OR
GET THOSE SEASON PASSES, April 7th, 2003
Wisconsin State Journal: POOLS OFFER RELIEF BUT NOT IN MADISON SOME PEOPLE JOIN
THE ALGAE IN LAKES, Jul 30th, 1999
Eugene, Oregon
Akron, Ohio
Madison
www.census.gov