Pool investment
Last spring, I had the privilege of participating on the Town of Carbondale’s Aquatics Center fundraising team as a grant writer. In the course of doing that work, I sought answers to three questions: 1. Why is the Town doing a fundraiser for its pool? 2. What is “building electrification?” 3. Why is the swimming pool an important community asset? My journey of learning about this project led me to better appreciate why the Town’s Aquatic Center project deserves community support. This is what I learned:
Why is the Town doing a fundraiser for its pool? It is unusual for a town government to undertake the sort of capital campaign we usually see from nonprofits, arts and civic organizations. Many of us assume that town governments are funded solely by tax revenues, and if they need more money, they must get more from the taxpayers. In fact, there are legal limits on the amount of tax revenues a municipality can collect — the town already asked the voters in a ballot measure to support the pool, which 78% of voters approved for an $8 million bond in 2022. Unfortunately, since that time, construction costs have increased by more than 50%. In addition, the pool was over four decades old and badly in need of replacement. Many other municipalities are in the same situation, so there is limited grant funding to replace municipal pools.
What is building electrification? Conventional heating systems are often designed to burn natural gas to generate energy. There is a trend underway to convert fossil fuel heating equipment into systems that use electricity for power. The benefit is that electric power can then come from upstream grid-based sustainable energy generation, or from local renewable energy sources, such as on-site solar arrays. In support of the Town’s mission to be a sustainability leader, and in pursuit of its net-zero energy footprint goals, the Aquatic Center is designed to be fully-electric and solar-ready, and will be the first municipal pool in Colorado to heat its water with high-efficiency electric heat pumps.
Why is the pool an important community resource? Many of us grew up with a municipal swimming pool available to us. Unless we still have swimming in our lives now, we may not appreciate the important community services a municipal pool provides. Affordable, accessible, public swimming pools are a crucial community resource that provides a place to safely learn to swim; a wellness facility for senior fitness and adaptive recreation for the disabled; and a community gathering place for families to escape the summer heat. The new Aquatics Center will provide seasonal jobs; a venue for competitive swimming team training; and a recreation and fitness resource that is available for regular affordable use by school-age, fixed income and low-income patrons. In a valley that is oriented around recreation that is often expensive and/or requires travel by car, an affordable municipal pool located near public transportation is an essential equitable alternative.
In addition, the new pool — which is in fact two pools plus a spa — has increased capacity, modern amenities and can host concurrent programming.
I hope this information has allowed you to better understand why the Town of Carbondale’s Aquatic Center project needs the community’s support. See the Parks and Recreation website for more information on how you can contribute: www.carbondaleconnect.org/carbondale-aquatics-center
Malcolm McMichael
Carbondale
KDNK thanks
On behalf of the board and staff at KDNK Community Access Radio, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the incredible community members and businesses who helped make our Spring Membership Drive a success. We raised over $88,100.
Your support ensures that KDNK continues to be a platform for local voices, diverse music, news and storytelling that reflects the heart of our community. Every phone call, online donation and shout-out of encouragement reminded us why community radio matters.
We’re also grateful to the local businesses who stepped up with challenge grants and in-kind donations. Your partnership shows the true strength of a community that supports one another.
KDNK thrives because of our listeners, members and community partners. Thank you for standing by us and for believing in the power of local, independent radio. Also, it’s never too late to join the family; if you have a lapsed membership or are not yet a member, we encourage you to contact us today at KDNK.org or 970-963-0139.
KDNK Board of Directors
Hard times
In these difficult times, I find it helpful to look back at the thoughts of past presidents. When I read an account of President Ronald Reagan’s last speech, I felt the need to share the following because it speaks so clearly to an issue that is gripping our country.
“On the last day of his presidency, in his last speech, President Ronald Reagan recalled what someone had once written to him: ‘You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.’
He [President Reagan] continued: ‘We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.’” -Heather Cox Richardson, “Letters from an American”
Candace Goodwin
Carbondale
Act now
In the United States we are very fortunate to have a time-tested mission statement which spells out the “why,” “whats” and “hows.” The U.S. Constitution has served as the North Star for our country for almost 250 years, outlining a structure that allows us to develop as a country as time and circumstances evolve. The Constitution and its amendments have been heavily debated and adopted with purpose and always for the benefit of the People. Our actions (i.e. politics) have always been within the framework of the Constitution. Until now.
By any objective measure the current administration is taking action that is not in line with the U.S. Constitution that they have sworn to protect and uphold. It’s time for a course correction.
I have taken the position that anyone who voted for the current administration is 100% responsible for its actions, as the voters are the ones who hired the current leadership of our country. At this juncture, it doesn’t matter who voted or didn’t vote for the current administration. What does matter is whether we — individually and collectively — can recognize the deviation from our country’s mission statement and whether we are willing to do something about it. I, for one, cling to our Constitution and think it’s critically important our leadership act within its framework. This is not about politics; it’s about protecting and defending the vehicle that has led to so much prosperity over the past 250 years.
I urge you to consider objectively whether the current administration is acting according to our Constitution. If you conclude that it is not, then I urge you to contact our elected officials — local, state and federal — and let them know your thoughts… often. The elected and appointed governmental officials work for us, the People, and we collectively have the power to keep them in line with our shared mission statement. I urge you to act now.
Doug Greenholz
Carbondale
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