Letters to the Editor - Problems delay of Webber Pool - Problems with the delay of Webber Pool

It appears the Webber Park Pool is now officially behind schedule [see Camden News March issue]. Should anyone be surprised? Behind the promises, pretty architectural renderings of what the future will look like and a public sales campaign of “environmental friendliness” lie some disturbing realities.

The company selected for the design of the “natural pool” has no experience or history in this country. If one takes the time to review the pools that the German parent company BioNova has already completed in other parts of the world, it seems quite obvious that what was promised to the public in Minneapolis is significantly different and needs to operate under very different conditions. Considerably new engineering approaches are required, and that takes time and money. A brief review of their website reveals that most of the staff are relatively new to the company, and since this is a new concept, they have no prior experience with it. While we can expect delays for original concepts, should the public be funding the development and growing pains of a new business that is not even in our state?

The public has been sold on the concept that the new “naturally filtered” pool is somehow more environmentally friendly because it may not use chemicals if successful, but what about other resources like electricity and water? The old pool was open for just over two months, requiring the use of electric pumps only during that limited time. The new facility will certainly have to circulate water for a much longer time period to avoid becoming a stagnant pond, perhaps for the entire year. The total volume of water will also be much larger, probably requiring larger pumps and even more electricity, not to mention all the additional groundwater pumped and used to compensate for evaporation. That doesn’t sound very environmentally responsible.

A safe public pool where children and even adults can learn to swim is not an amenity, it is a necessity. The simple fact is that several public pools could have been built and paid for in the time frame and budget allowed for this pet project, and the public has yet another summer with nothing to show for it. While the naturally filtered pool may prove successful at some point in the future, current residents and taxpayers are certainly paying for it, in money, time and missed opportunities.

Tom Schmitt,

Victory