Information on the Proposed Closure of the Fitchburg State University Pool will be added here and updated as I get information:
Board of Trustees Meeting discussing Pool Closure
January 28, 2020 at the Board of Trustees Meeting at 8:00 AM. The location is at the Presidents' Hall - Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Avenue, Fitchburg, MA.
Info Letter:
Swimming enthusiast, we need your support for Preserve the Pool (PtP) Committee from drowning. We have 48 hours of time left to save the pool at Fitchburg State University from being destroyed forever.
The community and students must stand united against closing the pool at Fitchburg State University. You all a have a voice - join us on January 28, 2020 at the Board of Trustees Meeting at 8:00 AM. The location is at the Presidents' Hall - Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Avenue, Fitchburg, MA.
Those that are unable to attend, please make your voices be heard by reaching out to the following individuals - Senator Tran, State Representatives Higgins and Hay, Mayor DiNatale, Mayor Mazzarella, President Lapidus, and Jay Bry, Vice-President of Finance and Administration at Fitchburg State University.
Speak out loud and clear that you do not agree with Fitchburg State University in closing their pool forever. The perception is that the decision has all ready been made without the facts and Aquatics Experts speaking to the Board of Trustees. Not having the facts from the experts in the field, shows the committee and community that the University is not willing to meet face-to-face to discuss these issues. Does this not sound familiar in losing your skating rink Fitchburg Community? How much more is the community going to lose before we all stand up and say this is enough Fitchburg State University?
This Committee has worked endless hours working on recommendations and solutions for Fitchburg State University to keep this valuable asset open. Once this pool is gone, it is gone forever. Our swim teams/clubs, athletic/workouts and rehabilitation, aerobic classes, lifeguard training, and lap swimmers will have no where to go.
Please do not let your hard earned tax money be mismanaged by Fitchburg State University. Destroying a million dollar pool just because they can, shows a lack of vision and future revenue stream from the potential outside sources.
Please be part of the solution, and stand up along side Preserve the Pool (PtP) Committee. Our voices in numbers can make a difference.
Thank you,
Preserve the Pool (PtP) Committee, Chair
Sentinel & Enterprise Article
Local representatives chime in to save FSU pool
Fitchburg State University officials have closed the pool used by local and regional schools for swim meets SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE/FILE
By Daniel Monahan | dmonahan@sentinelandenterprise.com | Sentinel & Enterprise
PUBLISHED: January 22, 2020 at 6:01 pm | UPDATED: January 22, 2020 at 6:03 pm
FITCHBURG — For months, residents have been calling on Fitchburg State University officials to keep the Recreation Center Pool open. But to their dismay, mechanical issues have left the facility closed for weeks and local athletes have been forced to swim elsewhere.
Now, several state legislators are throwing their weight behind the issue, joining the chorus of voices advocating for the pool’s repair and reopening.
On Jan. 14, Sen. Dean Tran wrote a letter addressed to FSU President Richard Lapidus expressing his continued support for the reopening of the pool.
“This facility, which has been in operation for almost two decades, has provided many benefits to the local community,” Tran wrote. “Swim teams and recreational swimmers routinely made use of the pool for their weekly practices and activities. Closure of this pool has forced the relocation of these groups to other facilities, creating an overall negative impact on our community.”
Tran continued, saying that while there are significant hurdles to reopening the facility, he is committed to assisting the university in whatever way possible to get the job done.
“Providing a common gathering place for local swimming enthusiasts and teams is essential for both the university and community as a whole,” he added.
Lapidus said the pool’s closing in early December is only temporary and he hopes to find a permanent solution soon.
University officials have expressed concern about a lack of revenue and declining attendance at the facility. Their concerns extend to the price tag associated with fixing the pool that was built in 2000.
Supporters of the pool deny those assertions and instead argue the pool is a great asset to local students, clubs, and programs. They also would assert the pool has been mismanaged, under marketed, and has the potential to make additional revenue through offered programs or rentals.
Rep. Natalie Higgins also expressed her support for the pool and the residents fighting to keep it open.
“I am very proud of the advocacy efforts of the FSU community and larger Fitchburg and Leominster community coming together to save the pool,” said Higgins in a statement. “I remain hopeful that President Lapidus and the Board of Trustees will work with them to come up with a plan to repair and maintain the pool, as it is an important resource in the Twin Cities.”
Rep. Stephan Hay reportedly sent a letter to the university in support of the pool, but did not respond to a request for comment.
Nancy Foss-Yasko, chair of the Preserve the Pool Committee, said she’s happy to have the legislators’ support but her main goal is to get the pool up and running again.
However, she said, the university is making it increasingly difficult to achieve that goal.
The committee and several student athletes attended a Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 5, prior to the pool’s closing, to show their support for the facility.
At the meeting, university officials promised the issue would be formally placed on the agenda for its meeting on Jan. 28.
University Director of Public Relations Matthew Bruun said an oral report about the pool will be given by Lapidus during the board’s meeting.
Foss-Yasko said she hoped the committee would be giving the presentation and that the university was trying to silence their efforts.
“This is just not right,” she said. “We’ve been putting together our own presentation together and this is just so frustrating to be essentially shut out like this.”
“As always, there will be an opportunity for public comment at the opening of the meeting,” Bruun said. “The issue is not going to be on the agenda as an action item, as any operational decisions about the facility will be made by university administration.”
Fass-Yasko said the university has demonstrated gross incompetence in its handling of the pool issue.
“The pool has been mismanaged for years, resulting in this atrocity,” said Foss-Yasko. “I and the many taxpayers of the commonwealth are outraged at the negligence and poor administration exhibited by the university.”
In a recent Letter to the Editor, committee member Stephen Holt said the university hasn’t been cooperative during the process.
“Instead of allowing us to be part of the solution, FSU has pushed us aside,” said Holt. “We speculate that FSU has its own agenda of permanently closing the pool.”
Holt said the pump replacement costs are low when compared with the money spent on landscaping in front of the building.
According to Foss-Yasko, the committee was told by university officials that the pool needs $400,000 in additional funding for the repairs. However, she said no estimate was provided to confirm the price tag.
“We owe this to the community to uncover what the true issues are, before it is too late,” she wrote in a letter. “ Once this pool is destroyed, there is no turning back.”
Letter of Support from Senator Tran’s Office
January 14, 2020
Dr. Richard Lapidus
Fitchburg State University
160 Pearl Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420-2697
Dear Dr. Lapidus,
We are writing to express our continued support for reopening the Fitchburg State University pool. This facility, which has been in operation for almost two decades, has provided many benefits to the local community. Swim teams and recreational swimmers routinely made use of the pool for their weekly practices and activities. Closure of this pool has forced the relocation of these groups to other facilities, creating an overall negative impact on our community.
While significant hurdles remain in overcoming the reopening of this facility, we are committed to assisting in whatever capacity possible. Providing a common gathering place for local swimming enthusiasts and teams is essential for both the university and community as a whole.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this matter. Please do hesitate to reach out to us should we be of any further assistance.
Sincerely,
Senator Dean A. Tran
Assistant Minority Whip
Worcester and Middlesex District
Letter of support from Representative Natalie Higgins:
January 27, 2020
President Richard S. Lapidus
Fitchburg State University
160 Pearl Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
President Lapidus:
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to discuss the issue of the pool closure at Fitchburg State University last
week. Over the past four months, I have met with many Leominster residents, including students and seniors, that
have found the pool to be an invaluable resource in their sports training and competition as well as promoting their
health and wellbeing. However, they have experienced a lack of communication from FSU leadership and have
struggled to discern what FSU leadership requires in a show of support to save the pool.
I am thankful that Jay Bry met with the advocates to listen to their concerns regarding the potential closure. Howeverthat meeting produced no path forward, except for an ambiguous commitment to be open minded about the pool
closure from the FSU Administration. At the end of the meeting, I asked Mr. Bry to provide the advocates from the
Preserve the Pool Committee with clear metrics so that they can show the community interest in maintaining the
pool, and as quickly as possible, the total cost of repair, so that funding could be secured through the community, or
the state delegation. We have yet to see any clear documentation that details the proposed cost of the repairs.
I understand that Fitchburg State University has a long list of capital needs to be addressed and has an ambitious planto invest in downtown Fitchburg, but maintaining this 19-year-old pool deserves to be considered a priority. Not onlyhas this impacted access for the FSU community, but also the Adult Learners of the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) and area
high school students who were members of the Leominster High School Coop Swim Team.
I hope that you will reconsider closing the pool and work with the community to maintain and grow this asset for
Fitchburg State University and the larger community.
Sincerely,
Natalie Higgins
November 2019 letter from Save the Pool Committee to FSU President
Sentinel & Enterprise Article
Residents fighting to save Fitchburg State University pool
By Daniel Monahan | dmonahan@sentinelandenterprise.com | Sentinel & Enterprise
PUBLISHED: November 4, 2019 at 6:55 pm | UPDATED: November 5, 2019 at 12:12 pm
FITCHBURG — The Fitchburg State University Recreation Center Pool, used by local and regional schools for swim meets, is reportedly in danger of closing down; but a group of concerned residents and alumni are fighting to keep it open.
Though Fitchburg State University has not officially announced that the pool will be closing, groups who frequent the facility believe the facility is heading in that direction.
The school is reportedly concerned about the price tag associated with potential repair costs, a lack of revenue and declining attendance at the pool.
Nancy Foss-Yasko, a university alumni, said she was tipped off about the potential closing after discovering that the pool’s heating system wasn’t working correctly and might need important repairs.
As a regular user of the facility, Foss-Yasko was alarmed by the news and quickly formed the Concerned User Committee for Continuing Operation Committee, made up of other alumni and regular pool attendees. She is also the sitting chairperson.
The committee’s primary goal is to understand why the pool would be closing and to offer the university suggestions for preservation and improved operation.
“We’re trying to give them solutions to the problem, but we don’t know what the problem is exactly because no one will tell us,” said Foss-Yasko. “It’s just going to be a shame if we lose this pool.”
Beverly Cronin, a university alumni who frequents the facility, said she was told the university is not committed to keeping the pool open.
“It’s just a beautiful space and I really don’t want it to shut down,” said Cronin. “It’s a good resource for the community and promotes healthy living and a healthy lifestyle.”
In the interest of preserving the pool, the committee met with university Vice President of Finance and Administration Jay Bry on Friday. State Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg), Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) and Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale were also in attendance.
According to Stephen Holt, a committee member, the group offered several solutions that would provide additional revenue to the university and help maintain the pool. Options included youth swimming classes, membership programs, exercise programs and rentals.
The committee contends the pool, built in 2000, is a valuable asset to the community and the replacement cost would run Fitchburg State about $1 million.
According to Foss-Yasko, the committee was told by university officials that the pool needs $400,000 in additional funding for the repairs. However, she said no estimate was provided to confirm the price tag.
She said the water heater appears to be broken because the water temperature is currently sitting at about 70 degrees, when it should be nearly 8 degrees higher.
Foss-Yasko said the university offered the following explanations as to why the pool might be closing in the future: poor attendance, low student interest and it does not meet the competitive collegiate standard length of 25 meters.
However, she said there is plenty of interest from both the public and external swimming teams. She said the university would benefit financially from opening the pool up to public use.
Foss-Yasko said the university could do more to promote the pool and help it bring in more revenue.
“The only way things will work out is if the university opens the pool up the community,” she said.
Several committee members said Fitchburg State University officials have not been forthcoming with details about potential pool repairs or the looming closure.
Francis Freel has been the coach for a local combined swim team for about five years and regularly schedules meets at the facility.
Freel said he wants Fitchburg State University to be transparent about its intentions for the pool and the problems it’s facing.
“It’s an asset to the community but it’s just not being promoted or marketed well,” said Freel. “I would just hate to see financial issues rob these kids of the team they’ve helped build.”
Members of the committee said they understand the pool is university property but they believe losing the pool would negatively impact the city and surrounding towns.
“It’s their choice. It’s their pool, their property, and I respect that,” said Freel. “I don’t feel there’s any maliciousness behind their intentions, we’d just like to know so we can make other plans.”
Freel’s swim team includes students from Leominster High School, Fitchburg High School, Lunenburg High School, Monty Tech, North Middlesex and Parker Charter School.
“If we had to relocate, we’re going to lose people and I’d hate for that to happen,” he said.
Jay Bry and other university officials could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2019/11/04/residents-fighting-to-save-fitchburg-state-university-pool-reportedly-on-life-support/
Committee to Save the Fitchburg State University Pool
https://www.facebook.com/savefitchburgstatepool/
Fitchburg State University Recreation Services
Swimming Pool
Our pool is 25 yards long and 6 lanes wide. If you're a lap swimmer, we offer kickboards, pull buoys and fins. For aquatic fitness we also offer aquajoggers, aquatic dumbbells and noodles. Our pool hours fluctuate depending on the time of year, so be sure to check out our updated pool hours. For your safety we have lifeguards on staff whenever the pool is open.
https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/offices-services-directory/recreation-services/
