The Valles Pool has been saved.
This afternoon, the YMCA announced it will undertake the roof repairs needed to preserve the Valles Pool. Thank you for making your voices heard; your support demonstrated how important this pool is to swimmers, divers, and families throughout our community.
The repairs will come with significant costs, and the Y has launched a campaign to help fund this work. If you are one of the nearly 2,000 petition signers whose life has been strengthened and enriched by the Valles Pool, please consider supporting the Y's donation campaign.
Four things you can do today.
Ranked by impact. Most take under five minutes.
- 1
Sign the petition
Adds your name to the public record we'll deliver to the board. Takes 30 seconds.
- 2
Email the board
Direct, personal email from a constituent is the single most effective lever. Use this template, edit the [bracketed] parts.
Send to: mriley@newcanaanymca.org, chrispohle@gmail.comSubject: Please pause any vote on the Valles Pool, and share the evidence Dear members of the New Canaan YMCA Board of Directors, As a [member / parent / senior / neighbor], I am asking you to pause any vote on the future of the Valles Pool until the community has been meaningfully consulted and the underlying evidence has been made public. At the May 20, 2026 meeting, Y leadership confirmed that the Valles Pool is safe and sound with roughly 20 years of useful life remaining. Closing it would eliminate diving at the Y entirely (the Forese Pool is only 10 ft deep and lacks deck space for boards), cut effective lap-lane capacity from 13 lanes to about 7, and remove the only NC YMCA pool certified for high school swim and diving meets, affecting the NC Caimans, New Canaan High School, Darien High School (diving), roughly 40 Masters swimmers, and about 165 youth swimmers in Y programs. The community was not consulted before the options were narrowed, and the engineering reports and usage surveys cited by Y leadership have not been shared with members. I respectfully ask the board to: 1. Postpone any vote on the Valles Pool until the process is transparent. 2. Publicly release the engineering report and usage survey the Y has cited. 3. Convene a public working session with affected user groups and consider alternatives, including repair of the existing structure, alongside demolition. Thank you for your service and for taking this request seriously. Sincerely, [Your name] [Your town]
- 3
Share your story
Personal stories are what move boards and reporters. Send us yours and we'll publish it (with your permission).
- 4
Share on social
One post from you reaches dozens of neighbors. Here's a copy-paste version.
The New Canaan YMCA board is weighing demolition of the Valles Pool, even though Y leadership says it has 20 years of life left, and the reports being used to justify the decision haven't been shared with members. Add your name. #SaveVallesPool https://savevallespool.com