New pool would benefit Sparta

To the Editor: Your recent article about expanding the school referendum to include a proposal to upgrade certain athletic facilities prompts me to make a proposal of my own. I am a sophomore at Sparta High School and a member of the Sparta High Swim team. The SCIL has only two swim facilities available for use, Sussex Technical School and Kittatinny Regional School. The Sparta, Pope John, Newton, Vernon and the Wal-Tech joint teams all practice at the Technical School. The High Point, Jefferson, Lenape Valley and Kittatinny teams practice at the Kittatinny Regional pool. The teams practicing at the Technical School do so on a rotating basis, with the last practice ending after 10:15 p.m. I can only imagine when the Jefferson and Lenape teams get home from Kittatinny. The Technical School facility is growing older, with increasing closures resulting in missed practices and postponed swim meets. Nevertheless, the Technical School pool is also used to conduct various instructional classes (lifeguard, water safety instructor, basic swimming, diving, senior aquatics and adult fitness and children’s instruction) that generate substantial revenue for the school. The classes at the Technical School fill very quickly and many Sparta residents get shut out of the programs. Many of our seniors who appreciate this low impact form of exercise are unable to participate. Many of my teammates must incur the expense of joining the YMCA and, more importantly, the inconvenience of the travel and limited availability of pool time at the YMCA, in order to practice in the off season. I lifeguard at Lake Mohawk during the summer, as do many of my friends. Almost all of us paid substantial amounts of money to the Technical School to acquire our credentials. Yet all of the lakes and swim facilities in the area have trouble finding enough lifeguards each summer. The need for a new facility is obvious. Why don’t we give the voters a chance to choose a facility that would have such versatile usefulness and appeal while providing an opportunity to generate revenue for our school district? I imagine the Jefferson and Lenape teams would be very interested in a facility so much closer to their towns, and the Technical School facility appears to be on it’s last legs. I believe a golden opportunity is at hand for the school district and the residents of Sparta. Kelly McLaughlin Sparta