Hi Joe,
I just found out yesterday that the special needs swimming pool at Pinehurst elementary is sitting empty and has for a long time due to funding for a new roof. I am curious whether or not this was ever made public. I don't have a special needs child but I do have some friends that do, and they would tell me that the students for which the pool was intended for, loved nothing more then the time they could spend in that pool. The smiles that the children had by being in the pool would just make things a little easier for the parents, the teachers, and the children. These children have to go through enough in their lives. It is a shame this has been taken away from them.
The talk about all the money the county got for the new Bennet middle school and yet no mention about this. I hear there are 12-14 classes of special needs students just at Pinhurst alone. I'm not positive about those numbers but that is a lot of students and I am sure more were bused in from other schools as well. I was also told the repairs for the roof would be a couple of million dollars. How is that possible? How about for a fraction of that they tear the roof down and make it an outside pool. I bet all the people that are for the funding of a bike lane to be built in Salisbury would rather have this special pool fixed for the children that would never be able to use a bike path in the first place. It seems the county knows how to get grant money for everything from building low income housing to fire boats. How can there be no money for this? If anyone knows more about this topic then fill us in. I might not have all the facts about this and in a way I hope there is more to the story then just needing a new roof.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
23 comments:
How can there be no money for this you ask? Because it does'nt rate high enough on the county priority list.Duh
yet they are re paving school lots up the street!
makes no sense at all.
From what I was told the pool was filled in already a few months back, gone for good. It was costing to much to keep it heated and the room heated.
And why doesn't it rate higher on the priority list? There is very little in this town worth talking about but how can they let this go by the wayside. Personally, I didn't even know the school had a pool for these kids but to have the pool and not be able to use it is ridiculous. So....parents, get together, ask all your home improvement friends and other friends to donate time, supplies, etc. and get this done for the kids. Pretend just for a while you are Amish and you are helping fellow mankind with a kind deed - wouldn't that just be wonderful!
The reason for this is,NO MINORITIES INVOLVED.
According to info put out by Wicomico Parks and Recs this is over for the summer. There is a phone number at the end you or Joe can contact to answer your questions
Camp Pinehurst Special Needs Camp
Camp Pinehurst is a summer camp with an emphasis on special needs youth. Campers work on socialization skills, physical activities, team building and special activities including swimming. Each participant is separated into age/ability settings to maximize their enjoyment and success in the program. This youth summer camp program is run by highly trained staff with years of experience in the field.
Registration: March 5 thru May 25
Age Group: Boys and girls ages 5-21
Date(s): June 20 – July 26, 2012
Time(s): Monday thru Thursday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location(s): Pinehurst Elementary School
Details: Transportation provided to all Wicomico County residents.
Contact: Email Program Director at kkuta@wicomicocounty.org or call, 410-548-4900 ext. 109
The pool has not been used for a few years and was just recently filled in with concrete.
Why doesn't it rate higher on the priority list? Because people complain that their taxes are too high. Money doesn't grow on trees!
Can someone ask the city to just put a speed camera, inside the new tax payer paid for car, and city employee to monitor this site? Cashing rolling in should take care of the improvements? Or wait until September, when the beach goers leave OC, and have one of their $100k employees help out.
First of all, this was considered a "therapy tank", not a pool. Sounds trivial but there different regulations for each.
First, even if it wasn't filled in yet, you couldn't make it an open aired pool. Therapy tanks have regulations that the water temp and outside temp must be within a few degrees of each other due to the fack that kids with serious issues would have issues.
Secondly, the cost of keeping up with the maintenance of chemicals, etc. was too much. Also, the license for people to do the chemicals, etc. was too difficult.
Regardless, the therapy tank was a luxury for years, but not mandatory. If parents wish to get therapy, there are outside places to take them. Not up to us taxpayers to pay for this!
You are so smart, because I'm sure no minority children exist!
If so, probably fillrd with dirt and capped with a concrete slab, maybe $40k to fix that, Having not seen the building, a reroof may at an extreme would cost another 50 to 100k, Walls, heating, new pool pumps and plunbing, maybe 100k would cover, but if existing equipment could be used, might be less. That brings or to (very roughly) 150k to 200k to make it a pool If ir needs a new HVAC system, maybe another 10k since the ductwork is there.
Again, these are shot in the dark numbers without looking at existing conditiond.
But, I played a contractor in real life for 17 years, not on TV!
To add, there is NOT acouple million dollars in this job. I may be lowballing it, but if you double my offer, I will probably be thrilled and the job done.
The special needs population area wide has been spread back into he regular school system. Even Holly Center is being phased out. This is the new normal for this population. These people need special care that they can not get elsewhere. Special needs centers and schools should be saved.
The pool was in operation until 4/26 and than the summer program ended. Call the # listed to see if all the gossip written here holds any truth. NOTE that transportation was provided free for the kids
Camp Pinehurst
Special Needs summer camp
Time(s): Monday thru Thursday
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Age Group: Boys and girls ages 5-21
Date(s): June 20 – July 26, 2012
Location(s): Pinehurst Elementary School
Details: Transportation provided to all Wicomico County residents.
Contact: Email Program Director at kkuta@wicomicocounty.org or call, 410-548-4900 ext. 109
It would be so nice for the pool to be filled. But really we should be more worried about more people becoming homeless then a pool for kids to play in.
Sounds like a good job for a community organizer to gather volunteers and donations to get it working without an added burden to local taxpayers. Ireton wants to be another Obama, let him organize his community and his political friends to make it happen! Let's see what kind of support he really has?
There will be no getting a community group together to get it working. It was filled with concrete at the beginning of summer. And there are not 12-14 classes of special needs students at Pinehurst. If you don't know the facts, stay out of the conversation!
Outside pool is unreasonable.Cleaning, sunburn and weather would be problems. Why dont you fundraise, approach the schoolboard to get it going and all they have to do is find a certified specialist to be teacher and lifegaurd.
Please Disregaurd previous post Thanks
Please Disregaurd previous post Thanks
July 28, 2012 12:49 PM
Gee, which one? lol
There will be no getting a community group together to get it working. It was filled with concrete at the beginning of summer. And there are not 12-14 classes of special needs students at Pinehurst. If you don't know the facts, stay out of the conversation!
July 28, 2012 12:08 PM
I hope this is the comment someone wishes us to ignore.
It is rude, there is no way to prove it is factually accurate, and it attempts to censor people, which I personally hate.
Have a peaceful day.
Go spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars and set up your own above ground pool, why does the taxpayer have to foot the bill for you wants and desires?
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