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Fredericksburg residents (at right) George Coghill and his daughter, Mikayla, play in the city's first public pool, Dixon Park Pool.
BELOW: Emma Rodenberg, 8, waits for a bucket of water to drop on her while playing in the city's new Dixon Park Pool.
ABOVE: Mayor Thomas Tomzak (left) tries to dunk City Council member Debby Girvan following the opening ceremony.
Doris Buffett (left) gave a $61,000 check yesterday to Debby Girvan at City Hall to cover admission at the Dixon Park Pool. |
By EMILY BATTLE and ELIZABETH PEZZULLO
Fredericksburg residents will swim free this summer at the Dixon Park Pool, thanks to a $61,000 gift from local philanthropist Doris Buffett.
The Sunshine Lady presented the check yesterday at City Hall, and the city's Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously last night to use it to pay pool admission for city residents this year.
Noncity residents will pay to use the pool, which opens Saturday. Those fees were set at $5 for children up to age 15 and senior citizens age 55 and older, and $7 for adults.
The city will let in 150 people at a time.
Buffett said she wanted the pool to be accessible to all city residents--not just those who could afford admission.
"As a grandmother, I just can't imagine children on one side of the street listening to the splashing and laughter on the other side and not taking part because they can't afford it," said Buffett, who has made large donations to other area projects through her Sunshine Lady Foundation.
The Parks and Recreation Commission had previously set fees for city residents at $3 for children and seniors, and $5 for adults.
Earlier this month, a group of residents went to a commission meeting, worried that the fees would put the pool out of reach for low-income families.
Mayfield Civic Association President David Williams was there, and he said this week that while he's happy the city has opened its first public pool, he was disappointed at the fees.
"For a town that lives on the river, especially a river that has taken so many lives, a pool is certainly welcome. We just need to make sure people are able to use it, so that we can benefit from it," he said.
After that June 15 meeting, parks officials said they would look for ways to help people afford the pool. They also asked parks staff to look at offering free swimming lessons.
On Tuesday, City Councilwoman Debby Girvan proposed that the pool be free for city residents for its inaugural summer.
Using the projected fee revenues for next summer--$93,700, a number that also includes concessions and other fees--Girvan said that subtracting the part of the pool season that's passed, this year's admissions would probably have brought in around $61,000.
She proposed that the city make up that cost.
By comparison, Spotsylvania County charges $4 for county residents over 5 years old to use its Loriella Park pool. It offers a $5 rate for Fredericksburg residents. All others pay $8.
Stafford County's public pools cost $4 for adults and $3 for youth and seniors for county residents, and $6 and $4.50 for others.
Buffett announced Wednesday that she planned to make a donation to replace the fee revenues, so that the pool could be free for the summer.
She said the discussion of fees prompted her gift.
"I think they really need to re-think this cost thing," Buffett said. "There's been talk about waivers for some people, but I don't agree with that. That's like telling someone you're a poor, pathetic under-class kid. That's not right."
She said she's considering an annual scholarship program, where students who keep their grades high get free pool passes.
Girvan said Buffett called her Wednesday about the gift. She and Councilman Hashmel Turner gathered with a group at City Hall when the check was presented.
Girvan said she is working with Buffett and two local swim instructors to offer free swimming lessons at the pool.
The Parks and Recreation Commission spent an hour and a half last night discussing the gift.
Several members wondered whether only city residents should be let in free, or whether the city could use the money to set up an endowment to fund admission and lessons on a need basis.
Commissioner Patricia Green said she wished Buffett had dealt directly with the commission.
"Was the check accepted on behalf of City Council, or on behalf of Debby [Girvan]? I am a little concerned about the political irresponsibility," she said, talking to Girvan.
"This astounds me," Girvan said. "There's no political agenda here, and I really resent being accused like that."
Some commissioners said they thought the money could help more people if fees were waived specifically for those who can't afford them.
"I admire the gift," Commissioner Kenneth Kroko said. "I just want to see us stretch it as well as we can for the folks who need it the most."
In the end, the commission decided that just two days before the pool opens, there wasn't time to set up a need-based program.
At their July meeting, they plan to talk about offering more fee waivers and affordable swim lessons next summer.
To reach EMILY BATTLE:
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com
