Public Swimming Pool in/around Pittsboro?

[ChefMenteur]

I've raised this question before, or some version of it, without much response, so here goes again:

Does anyone know of any plans -- by private or public entities -- to build an outdoor, Olympic size swimming pool that would be open to the community? I specify Olympic-size because I am interested in summer competitive swimming leagues, etc. And when I specify "open to the community," that would include swim clubs that charge initiation fees and annual dues, but don't have a residency requirement.

And speaking of private entities, does anyone know of any developers who are planning to integrate such a pool into their development plans nearby? The closest I've been able to find besides The Preserve is Briar Chapel. How about the Patrick Steele development that will someday go up past CCCC? I understand that neither Chatham Forest nor Powell Place intends to build a pool, and that the YMCA has investigated the issue but hasn't solved it yet.

And though I know that a lot of people like it, the community pool in Pittsboro across 87 from CCCC is not what I'm talking about -- too small for competitive swimming, etc etc.

[VAHeel]

Heritage Hills has a swim team, I believe, and there is no residency requirement.

[ChefMenteur]

Heritage Hills has a swim team, I believe, and there is no residency requirement.

That seems pretty far away. I was hoping that someday we would have something closer by.

Guess we'll have to move to Briar Chapel.   

[VAHeel]

yeah, hopefully someday.

[fools gold]

There is the Pittsboro Pool behind DSS. They are now inclusive and need more members.  ( A nice public pool at the community college would be great.)

[girlfrompbo]

They used to have competitive swimming there as well.

[dkemom2]

There are a lot of N. Chatham folks who belong to Heritage Hills.  It's a nice, low key community.

Glad to hear the PBO pool is more "inclusive".  I still would never give them the business, just b/c of the history.

[lterll]

I've been hearing about the P'boro pool being exclusive forever.  How exactly did the P'boro Pool descriminate, can anyone give me some examples--not just I've been told or I heard, but real examples. We've been members for at least 10 years and I've never witnessed any kind of prejudice.  People and times change.  But, I guess the past will be brought up forever. Years ago a parent of my oldest child, who was a member of the Heritage Hills pool, asked if we were interested in joing HH.  I told her we were members of the P'boro Pool--and she blurted out, Oh, they're prejudiced.  Later, I asked a friend who was also a member of HH, how diverse a membership did HH have.  She said she had been going there for many years and had never seen any diversity.  Maybe that's changed now.

[Clyde]

HH has diversity... one regular and a high one with stairs going up to it. My son and I were basically #1 & #2 in the big splash department for years, then we quit going.

[dkemom2]

It's not great, but there is diversity at HH.

I also understand that things have changed at PBO.

However, for years they asked for a picture to be sent with your application.  When I questioned this, they said it was so the lifeguards/staff would recognize me and my family.  So no, there was no line on the application for race, but this photo request was very odd.  This was over ten years ago and like I said, things have changed.

But I feel like the stigma is still there.  I've never set foot in a Cracker Barrel either.

[girlfrompbo]

There's happening not to have a diverse membership and then there's refusing to allow people to join whose skin is a certain color. The Pittsboro pool has a recent history of racial discrimination, and unfortunately that kind of things sticks with people for awhile, even after changes are made.

I've been hearing about the P'boro pool being exclusive forever.  How exactly did the P'boro Pool descriminate, can anyone give me some examples--not just I've been told or I heard, but real examples. We've been members for at least 10 years and I've never witnessed any kind of prejudice.  People and times change.  But, I guess the past will be brought up forever. Years ago a parent of my oldest child, who was a member of the Heritage Hills pool, asked if we were interested in joing HH.  I told her we were members of the P'boro Pool--and she blurted out, Oh, they're prejudiced.  Later, I asked a friend who was also a member of HH, how diverse a membership did HH have.  She said she had been going there for many years and had never seen any diversity.  Maybe that's changed now.

[Muddylaces]

Does this "pittsboro pool" have a web site?   

[Greg Stafford]

The Chatham Y will ultimately have a pool and swim team. My guess is 3 years away or so. My kids currently  swim for Heritage Hills. The team is well coached and does well in the CH summer league.

We love that pool.

[ChefMenteur]

Thanks Greg. Growing up, summer swim leagues were a huge part of my life as a kid -- social and physical development, team-orientation, discipline (early morning practices!)  and sportsmanship, etc. Not to mention making it a whole lot easier later in life to pass swimming tests in the Marines and later at the special training school in Coronado. I like little pools, but I especially like pools that have swim leagues. Personal preference.

d

p.s. To everyone else:  Most swimming pools of a certain age -- built before 1965, let's say -- were segregated around here, at least for a period of time. Roland Giduz (resident amateur historian of Chapel Hill) documented it in Orange County and Chapel Hill through a series of very interesting photographs taken 40+ years ago. Black kids usually had no other place to swim but in rivers and ponds. But pools (and people) change, so I'd give the Pittsboro Pool the benefit of the doubt, especially as time goes on. Though my family will probably go for a bigger pool, I can see no better way of addressing your concerns about the pool in Pittsboro, founded or unfounded, than by joining the pool and having a say in its policies and culture. It's a nice pool in a nice shady area, easy to get to.

[girlfrompbo]

The Pittsboro pool was segregated a lot more recently than the 60's.

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