Ripples from the Lake Worth Municipal Pool

We had a great class today with Sally Welsh. There must have been close to 30 people. She teaches water aerobics at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the Lake Worth pool. Important to note, if you plan on attending, tell the cashier you are there for Sally's class. They will write your name down and you can go into the pool area. Either before or after class, make sure to pay $5 to Sally. She usually has a gray cash box on a table near where the class is taking place. There is also a sign-in sheet there so she can keep track of names and how many people attend the class.
As reported previously the city is offering a discounted pass for residents and non-residents. It's mentioned in this new flier put out by the City to promote the pool.

Here is a break down of the cost. Essentially, if you are a resident, you are either getting $1 off on each of your 20 visits or you're getting 5 free visits. Just depends how you look at it. Here is the fee structure for the 20-visit pass:

Today I took advantage of the opportunity and paid $60 in a check made payable to the City of Lake Worth. You give your check or cash to the cashier and she will hand you something that looks like this:

It's a laminated piece of paper that you bring with you and they will punch the card for each visit. Note that this does not apply to days and times when you are taking part in Sally Welsh's class. You still have to pay her, as described above, if you wish to be part of her class. This pass can be used any other time you come to the pool. So, if you are coming to swim laps or work out at another time of day that is when you use the pass. Pool days and hours are listed on the flier above and also in the right hand column of this blog.

If you thought about coming to the pool and haven't now is a good time to try it out. Of course, if you come by car instead of walking or by bike, you must pay for parking. Consider getting a pass with a friend—you can come together and split the cost of parking.

It's important, if you support the pool, to show your support by using it. Standing on the sidelines like a cheerleader may feel good but it doesn't do anything to lower the huge deficit the pool runs every year. Many of you are very aware of the problems going way back when the pool was shut down to save money and many have misgivings even having a pool at the beach at all. Also I've discovered very detailed information about the finances of the pool but am waiting for a few more details before laying it all out there. In short, it's not a pretty picture.

Finally, I'd like to share some information from Sally Welsh. She is familiar with the beach property as she was the first female lifeguard hired by the City going back to the 1980s. When you are at the BEACH! you really notice the subtleties of nature and the changing seasons. You become more aware of wind direction for example. Recently many parrots have found their way to the beach. For many years they seemed to be less in number but have rebounded recently. You can tell by their telltale squawks and ability to fly in a tight group. Today, Sally shared an observation that this is the first time that she can remember seagulls at the beach in October. According to Sally, they usually show up in December, but usually more like January. She thinks this means it could be another grisly winter for the northeast.