Pool meeting needed better planning

McCambridge Pool is the only venue for adult lap swimming this year; Burroughs High (or Burbank High) pools were available during the week in prior years. While swimming at Burroughs was less than ideal, I think its absence this summer is a further decline in swimming opportunities for adults in Burbank.

McCambridge pool, so far, is generally satisfactory except for the following: Weekday swimming uses the short width of the pool, a non-standard 22 yards.

Only four lane lines have been set up. “Open-water” swimming is more difficult because there are no markings on the pool bottom.

Also, the water temperature is certainly at the upper end of standards for active aquatics.

Late in the afternoon on June 11, I received an email from Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy that a neighborhood meeting would be hosted by city staff at Verdugo pool that day at 6 p.m. Her email stated this had been announced in the Burbank Leader.

I counted 10 to 12 people at the meeting who were not city employees. This meeting was announced only in the online edition of the Burbank Leader. The lack of notice and participation is another example of poor communication between the city staff and Burbank residents. The meeting was conducted outside the pool, with all persons standing. I think this shows a lack of serious purpose.

A resident asked if solar heating would be installed.

The answer was solar panels were planned only to provide electrical power because solar heating was not required in the summer season. Obviously, this reasoning is only valid if there is no use planned for the Verdugo pool except in the summer.

I very much expect thoughtful planning and clear policy statements toward year-round aquatic programs.

Bob Schmitt

Burbank