Eighty seven cents is about half of a Pepsi or Coke from a machine, one medium black coffee from McDonalds or perhaps a couple songs in the juke box at the Mikado Tavern. Eighty seven cents is not a lot. Really, it's not. Especially if you only need to scrape that together one time a month. That is roughly less than three cents a day. But you can do the math.
Right now, what that eighty seven cents a month from each tax payer in our Oscoda School District (over the next five years) can buy is the future of our high school pool and our track. Our pool is in dire need of repair. The air handling system needs to be replaced, plumbing needs to be upgraded and a boiler (which the school currently owns) needs to be dedicated to heating the pool. The track is in such poor shape the track team has not been able to host a home meet in five years.
Tonight was the Rock The Pool Party at the high school. Luke and I went. Largely to show our support in the effort to save the pool. I also went because I don't think I have been in that part of the high school since I graduated a few years ago...well, several years ago. Not only did I take every swim lesson possible to take in that pool but I also swam on the swim team all of my four years of high school. (I briefly considered being a Blue Marlin, but soon realized that synchronized swimming required a certain amount of gracefulness and coordination I did not possess.) I am proud to say that I swam on the first girls swim team at Oscoda High School. I think I even held the 50 yard freestyle record for about 10 minutes once. But the most amazing thing is I can still swim. Not as far or as fast as I used to, but I can still swim quite well. Fortunately, I have never had to call upon that skill to save my life, but I know I could if I had to. And, I can't think of any situation where throwing a softball or serving a volleyball could get me out of a dangerous predicament involving open water. (Although those are also very important skills to have too.)
My point is that there are hundreds of people from Oscoda that have gained life time skills and fond memories from that pool. And from the track too for that matter. We took it for granted when I was in school. And now the pool is going to be drained soon and will not be refilled unless this bond passes. And our track and field athletes won't ever hear their parents cheering them on at their own track because they will never be able to participate in a meet at their own high school. There is no reason to have both an empty pool and unusable track. No reason.
Eighty seven cents a month, folks, for five years. That's it. That's all. May 5th. Vote yes. We can do this. I am going now to check my pockets and look under the seat of my car. You should do the same.
