Carl Markowitz

I have been involved in the swimming community for the last 60 years, having spent summers swimming at a local community pool in Pennsylvania. This grew to include providing swimming lessons to children with Down syndrome in my high school years and, more recently, coaching for the Darien Piranhas for six years. Currently, at the New Canaan YMCA I swim with a group of up to 15 swimmers, providing the workouts freely. In that 60-year span it has become apparent that the swimming community provides extensive value to everyone involved that transcends the balance sheet. I believe this is the core mission of the YMCA.

While at the Y, I have seen people lining up waiting for access to the Forese Pool when the Valles Pool is unavailable. Long-term closure of the Valles Pool will only exacerbate this problem and create difficulty far beyond the people on this list, affecting a community that has built a strong tradition of swimming and diving. Additionally, I believe part of the community's planning has been based on agreements, formal or informal, with the New Canaan Y. To proceed without a wide public forum would be disingenuous.

I urge the Board to pause any consideration of demolition, communicate openly with members, share the facts, and create a transparent process for community input before any decision is made. The Valles Pool matters. The aquatics community matters. And the members who have supported this YMCA deserve to be heard.