North Kitsap Community Pool

New Pool Website

2010-03-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

All,

The pools new website is live. Please take a look at www.nkpool.com.

Support The Pool by Voting Yes on the Levy Renewal in February of 2010

2009-10-24T13:09:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon pool supporters.

I thought I would share my recent letter to the editor with you. The letter is posted on the Norht Kitsap Herald web site.

Community: Challenge to the North Kitsap CommunityOct 20 2009, 11:26 AM
The North Kitsap School District wants voters to renew its levy next February. It provides $13 million, or 20 percent of the district’s budget. This is not “extra” money; it’s not new money.
Sadly, renewal is not a slam dunk. The economy is tough and taxes unpopular. Also, there is tension between district leadership and some members of our community.
Eighteen months ago, rumors surfaced that the district would close the community pool. My kids are on the Piranha swim team, so the pool is important to my family. I fought to keep the pool open. Sometimes, I locked horns with district leaders, but we worked through it and now the pool is financially stronger than ever.
My story is a good example of working within the system, instead of throwing stones from outside. I didn’t feel the district was handling the pool appropriately. So I got involved. I am now on the Community Pool Advisory Committee and the Capital Finance Advisory Committee. Do I think all district decisions are right? Nope. But I also know that by getting involved, I am making a difference for my children.
I urge you to get involved—and to vote “yes” on the school levy.
Randy Borek
Poulsbo

Water Safety Scholarship

2009-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Water Safety Scholarship Fundraising Committee

Dear Friends of the Pool,

On the warm, sunny days of summer as we observe the waters surrounding our community or
hear the gleeful voices of neighborhood children splashing in their inflatable pools, we realize
how important it is that all our children learn to swim. Our NK Community Pool offers swim
lessons at various times, and many families take advantage of this valuable resource.
With the downturn in the economy, however, more families can’t afford the $50 expense of
swim lessons for one child, let alone two or three. Even in a good economy some families simply
don’t have the extra money for swim lessons.
We believe the North Kitsap community would like to help all our children learn to swim. To
help make that goal a reality, a Water Safety Scholarship fund has been established with the
North Kitsap Schools Foundation, for K-8 NKSD students in good academic standing
demonstrating financial need.
Please, will you help these students learn to swim? Thank you on behalf of our future swimmers.

Catherine & Renee

Catherine Ahl and Renee Arcement
Water Safety Scholarship Fundraising Committee

Yes, I want to help our children to learn to swim. Here is my tax-deductible donation of:
______ $50 (swim lessons for one child)
______$100 (swim lessons for two children)
______$150 (swim lessons for three children)
______ Other

Please return this form with your check made out to NK Schools Foundation, with “Water Safety
Scholarship” written in the Memo section, to:

North Kitsap Schools Foundation
Attn: Water Safety Scholarship Committee
P. O. Box 1236
Kingston, WA 98346

NKSD Levy

2009-09-06T12:37:00.001-07:00

All,

The pool is in the best financial state it has ever been in, but there is another challenge at hand.

The NKSD has a levy coming up for renewal on the February 2010 ballot. This levy provides funding for approximately 20% of the districts budget.

The reality is, that if this levy fails the pool will close and the district will likley be forced to cancel all athletic programs and more.

The district and community is faced with a number of hot and controversial issues that have driven a wedge between many of us and the districts administration. I admittedly have many items on my list, but is failing the levy the way to express your frustrations?

I urge you all to find ways to get involved directly with district committees and volunteer opportunities. This is the best way to express your opinion and to help the districts administration to understand that the North Kitsap community wants to be heard and wants to be a part of the school districts future.

I have a big voice and I tend to speak on the hot issues, but I also get involved. I am a member of the Community Pool Advisory Committee, the Capital Finance Advisory Committee, I participated in the 2009-2010 public budget process, my wife and I aremember of the NKHS Athletic, the NKHS and PMS band boosters and my wife spends countless hours working with the schools my kids attend.

I simply do not believe that the correct way to express your frustrations is to vote no on the levy. It is not appropriate to punish our kids.

Please vote "YES" on the levy renewal and join the cause to assist in its passing.

Randy Borek

Pool Status 2009-2010

2009-09-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

The North Kitsap School Board approved the 2009-2010 distruct budget. I am very happy to inform everyone that the budget includes funding for continued pool operations.

The work of the community and the Community Pool Advisory Committee (CPAC) has again shown the school board that the pool is important to us and it must not close.

CPAC meets regularly and will continue to work closely with district staff to increase pool revenues and further solidfy the future of our pool.

Pool Painting

2009-09-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

The North Kitsap School Board will formally recognize the efforts of the volunteers that assisted with the painting of the pool interior.

This will occur at the school board meeting on Thursday, September 10th @ 7:00 pm.

These volunteers did a wonderful job and deserve our recognition and the recognition from the school district.

I will post a listing of the volunteers on this site on a later date. Please join me in recognizing them personally.

Randy Borek

Painting the Pool Interior

2009-08-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

Volunteers needed

Our pool is getting a fresh coat of paint—in several yummy colors—and we need volunteers to help us paint. Here’s the scoop:
August 15, Saturday afternoon: clean the walls and etch (to prep for Sunday painting)
August 16, Sunday: paint, paint, paint

Ray at Peninsula Paint on Viking Ave is donating all the materials. He got Benjamin Moore to donate their top-of-the-line paint. Connie LaMont, interior designer and well-known colorist, has selected the colors. Best of all, Mike Dale of Big Valley Painting is the pro who will supervise all of us (and do the tricky spots). Mike has worked on “Extreme Makeover: Home Improvement” so this is a small project for him.

We need LOTS of people. Come dressed in cool, paint-worthy clothing—remember it’s toasty in the pool area. Only a small portion of the painting requires a ladder—you’ll be on solid ground for all your work.

Contact Jake at 598-1070 or email him above. He’ll have details for you. And thanks—I’ll see you there!

PS—Please pass this along to anyone else you think might be willing to help.

Pool Status

2009-07-08T20:41:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that my lack of updates on this website means the pool is open. We have been very active with pool operations and the pool is in the best shape it has ever been in.

The pool is open and will continue to be open for all to use.

POOL IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the North Kitsap School District Board of Directors voted tonight to keep the pool open until 8/31/09. This places the pool operations back into the school district budget and part of next years budget process.

THE POOL IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a very important step in the process of securing the future of the pool for many years to come. We have all worked hard to reach this point and we mus all continue to work hard in regards to the pool.

We have stepped up as a community and CLEARLY communicated to the school board that they MUST not close the pool. The community support was overwhelming to the point that the school district could simply not ignore the will of the people.

Please join me in continuing to work on the pool. I wil be calling for everyone to step up over the coming months and join us in raising funds for the pool and participating in the many items we are working on to increase the viability of the pool.

I cannot thank you all enough for you help and assitance. My family and most importantly the SWIMMERS in my family thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you

Randy

Citizens Pool Advisory Committee

2008-10-14T19:36:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for being so quiet lately, but as many of you know I am co-chairing the Citizens Pool Advisory Committee. We have been working hard compiling data on pool operations and gathering our recommendations to increase the pools efficiency and profitability.

We will present our recommendations to the school board on Thursday, October 23rd at 7 pm.

I hope to see you all there.

Randy

Candidates Forum

2008-09-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

School Board Meeting - The Budget Vote

2008-08-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

7:00 PM
Thursday, August 28th
18360 Caldart Ave.

This is the Budget Vote meeting. It's time again to put large numbers of pool supporters in the room.

You can download and review the budget proposal HERE or go to the NKSD website

Please show up and bring your friends.

Big Meeting On Saturday

2008-08-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Pool News: Big Meeting Saturday Morning
On Monday morning, the NKSD school board approved a proposal by the Superintendant to create a citizen advisory group to: “monitor and evaluate operations through December” and to “create a business plan” which would offer long-term funding solutions.
So we want your help.
Please join your fellow swimmers—and other interested citizens—for a Idea Generating Meeting. One giant brainstorm about money. No (legal) idea too crazy!

Please invite anyone else that has an interest in assisting us.

Saturday
August 16
8:30 to 11
Board Room
NKSD

School Board Meeting - Monday, August 11

2008-08-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

On Monday, August 11th at 10 am the school board will meet in a special meeting called to review a budget proposal for operting the North Kitsap Community Pool through December 31, 2008.

In addition, the school board will consider the formation of a North Kitsap Pool Advisory Committee to oversee pool operations and report back to the superintendent.

The outcome of this meetings should give us a pretty good idea if the pool will be open after August 31, 2008.

Randy

Month of August

2008-07-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Since the school board will make their final decision regarding the pool on August 28th there is little time to organize further fundraising events.

Please continue to contact individuals and businesses and request their financial support for the pool. We now have our website setup to accept donations via credit card, so please feel free to direct individuals to our website to make a contribution.

The school board has approved a new advertising policy that will allow us to sell advertising space at the pool. Andy and I are working on a mock up that we will include in a marketing package we plan to send out to North Kitsap businesses. We believe this is a huge potential for funding for the pool. We could use a volunteer to help us create and maintain a listing of businesses we will send the material to and to help us put the mailing together. Please let me know if you can help.

Everyone has done a fantastic job supporting the pool. Keep up the good work.

Randy

City of Poulsbo

2008-07-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

August will be a quiet month for direct fundraising efforts due to the time constraints before the school board makes their decision.

Over the next several weeks it will be important that we continue to focus efforts on the Poulsbo City Council. They continue to discuss the pool, but to date they have not committed to supporting the pool financially. The fact is they have the money. New businesses, such as WalMart, are generating a large increase in sales tax revenue for the city and I believe the city should direct some of these funds back to the community.

A majority of the individuals that are shopping at these new businesses are not residents of the City of Poulsbo so the cities argument that they should not fund a resource that is used by the entire North Kitsap community is simply not valid. The entire North Kitsap community is contributing to the increased revenue the city is realizing and they have an obligation to recognize that.

There is a city council meeting on August 6th and I encourage everyone to attend and address the city council. Keep the letters and emails going and let them hear your voice.

Randy

School Board Update

2008-07-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

The next school board meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 28th. The school board will approve the 2008-2009 district budget at this meeting and we will know the final outcome regarding the pool when the budget is approved.

At the last school board meeting the board instructed the district finance director to sharpen her pencil and work on balancing a budget with the pool included. I have spoken to the finance director and I know she is working on a budget for the pool and will present that to the school board on August 28th.

The word from the school board is that they are considering keeping the pool open until December 31 with a strong statement that monthly reports must be made to the school board regarding pool and that there must be a focus on making the pool operate more efficiently and generate more revenue in order to reduce the burden on the school district.

I have requested that the school board consider creating a pool oversight committee that can work directly with the pool manager regarding pool operations and that this committee provide the monthly updates the board is requesting.

Please continue to contact the school board members and express your continued support for the pool. We cannot let them think our efforts have died off and we need to keep the pressure on.

Randy

Fun Run/Walk Results

2008-07-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

It is my pleasure to announce that the fun run/walk held yesterday was a HUGE success.

There were a total of 224 participants which far exceeded any event Poulsbo Running has held.

The final total of the amount raised is $4,656.

Please join me in expressing our thanks for Chris and Brooke for sponsoring this event. You can email them at poulsborunning@foxinternet.com.

The turn out continues to show the support that we have from the community for the pool. Please continue to contact the school board and the Poulsbo City Council to express your thoughts and support for the pool. The city council needs to step up and respond the communities interest and provide financial support for the pool and the school board needs to understand that the pool provides an important resource for the education of our children. WRITE THEM AND TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL.

Thanks

Randy

S'Klallam Tribe

2008-07-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

The S'Klallam Tribe notified us today that they are donating $5,000 to the Save Our Pool efforts.

Please join me in thanking the tribe for their support of the pool.

You can find the contact information for the tribe at http://www.pgst.nsn.us/new-content/contact/contact.php.

Randy

Poulsbo Life - Poll On Pool Usage

2008-07-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Please go to http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jul/06/poulsbolife-poll/ and take the poll that Poulsbo Life Newspaper is conducting on pool usage.

Randy

Fun Run

2008-07-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We are making great progress with the School Board and things are looking positive. The school board will finalize the 2008-09 district budget during their August meeting and that is when we will know the final decision regarding the pool.

Andy and I continue to work with the City, County, School District, etc. to keep the ball moving on forming a metropolitan parks district.

The total amount we have raised to date in cash and pledges reached the $30k mark today with recent pledges that occurred today. Keep an eye out for an announcement regarding a recent donor.

Our fun run is scheduled for this Sunday and I have attached a flyer regarding the event. Poulsbo Running has indicated that participation is very high compared to other events they have organized so it looks like this will be a great event. I will know more details regarding the actual route of the run/walk on Thursday and I will send out that information on Thursday night.

The route is being set so that it will work for all levels of runners and walkers and even to accommodate jogging strollers. It will be a great event and a great fundraiser for the pool.

I still need a couple of volunteers so please let me know if you would like to help out. Perhaps you want to participate on the sidelines and support the pool.

World Drowning Report

2008-07-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

R. J. Urbauer USCGAUX Vessel Safety Examiner writes - "When will we have a drowning death in Buck Lake or on the beach at Arness Park, because we don't have a facility to provide a "learn-to-swim" program? The International Life Saving Organization is embarking on a program to break the "drowning chain" that occurs through a chain of four factors, one of which is the "inability to cope, once in difficulty". We need to do our best to keep our pool open - to save a life."

A link to the World Drowning Report is listed under the document section. Please read this important report.

5k Fun Run

2008-06-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Mor Mor

2008-06-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

It is my pleasure to announce the following fundraising opportunity that is being made available to us by Mor Mor. Please take some time to thank them for their help in keeping the pool open.

Bistro Presents Save Our Pool Events:

July - Desert Plate for $8 detailed on the menu for the pool fundraiser. 50% of proceeds go to the pool fund.

August - Mor for a Difference sponsors the Save our Pool campaign. Eat at Mor Mor Bistro any Wednesday between 11am-2pm and a portion of the proceeds will go to the pool fund. Plus all monies raised at Mor Mor during the month of August for the pool will be matched dollar for dollar by Kevin Hogan at Liberty Bay Auto.

www.mormorbistro.com infor@mormorbistro.com

Contacting the Poulsbo City Council

2008-06-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

We believe that a partnership with the City of Poulsbo is one component to the future survival of the pool. We have been in discussions with the city and the city is exploring options.

Please feel free to contact the city council members to express your support for the city's involvment in keepin the pool open. The following is a listing of email addresses for the city council members.

Linda Berry-Marais lberrymaraist@cityofpoulsbo.com
Connie Lord clord@cityofpoulsbo.com
Becky Erickson berickson@cityofpoulsbo.com
Jeff McGinty jmcginty@cityofpoulsbo.com
Ed Stern estern@cityofpoulsbo.com
Dale Rudolph drudolph@cityofpoulsbo.com
Kimberlee Crowder kcrowder@cityofpoulsbo.com

Contacting the North Kitsap School Board

2008-06-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

We encourage everyone to contact the school board to express their support for the pool. Here are the email addresses for the school board members.

Tom Anderson fizix4u@comcast.net
Dan Delaney ddelaney@nks chools.org
Melanie Mohler moh123@earthlink.net
Ed Strickland elzbthstrc@aol.com
Val Torrens vtorrens@nkschools.org

You can see their pictures and more information at http://www.nkschools.org/district/board/members.shtml

USA Swimming Foundation - Make A Splash

2008-06-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I came accross the "Make A Splash" program that was established by the USA Swimming Foundation. This is a prime example of a project our pool should be involved in and it would further solidify the importance of a pool in our community.

Please take a look at the website. http://swimfoundation.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=261&srcid=262

Randy

Articles of Note

2008-06-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Poulsbo Piranhas swimmer Taletha Aban took the floor at the NK School Board meeting on the June 5th and delivered an passionate speech. You can read it here, or through the link at the right.

Also the Wall Street Journal article "Child Drownings Rise, Spark Safety Concerns" is worth a look.

This Week

2008-06-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week for the pool.

Our meeting on Tuesday night was well attended and we have alot of individuals wroking to save the pool.

The meeting with the City of Poulsbo Finance/Budget Committee was encouraging.

The march from the pool to the City Council meeting included over one hundred individuals and clearly communicated our support for the pool to the community and the city council.

We packed the house at the school board meeting and one of our swimmers rocked the house with her presentation to the school board.

One issue was reinforced during the school board meeting. There are a great number of individuals that support the pool and not all of those individuals have the facts they need. It is important that we all educate the community about the facts related to he pool so that we can communicate a clear and consistent message.

Thank you for your support of the pool.

Logo

2008-05-23T22:44:00.001-07:00

Tom Springer has done a fabulous job creating two possible logos for us. Please take a look and email me at saveourpool@comcast.net with your preference.

Fund Setup At American Marine Bank

2008-05-23T22:38:00.001-07:00

An account under the name of "Save our Pool" has been established at American Marine Bank. The account number is 0921008801 and you can make contributions at any American Marine Bank branch location.Your support and financial contributions are needed to keep the pool open and we appreciate any contributions you can make.In addition, you can send contributions to Save our Pool at PO Box 1284, Poulsbo, WA 98370.Please contact us at saveourpool@comcast.net if we can provide any further information.

Two Messages from Randy

2008-05-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Hello pool supporters,

Andy Sergant, Greg Schmidt and I (Randy Borek) are members of the steering committee working to organize our efforts to keep the North Kitsap Community Pool open and available to our community.

We have begun the process of organizing our efforts and are working hard to bring everyone together to raise money for pool operations. We encourage everyone to get involved and assist in anyway they can. There are a lot of things to do and we need as many volunteers as possible.

Please contact me at saveourpool@comcast.net if you are interested in assisting us in our efforts.

Thanks

Randy Borek
-----------
I attended tonight's school board meeting and it is clear to me that we need to show them that we support the pool.

We need more individuals to attend school board meetings and everyone needs to contact the school board to show your support.

It is time to step up and get involved if you want to keep the pool open.

Randy

2008-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Facts at a Glance:
• The 2008-09 budget presented to the NKSD board does not include a budget for the pool.
• As a Non-Profit organization we are trying to raise funds from the North Kitsap community to keep the pool open for 1 year
• The yearly budget for the pool for salaries and maintenance is $350,000
• These funds would last 1 year - Hopefully enough time to raise community awareness and establish a community and/or county organization to become responsible for management and financing of the pool
• The pool will close August 31, 2008 if the funding is not found!

Welcome

2008-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to provide information regarding the status of the North Kitsap Pool. We are actively trying to fund raise the $350,000 we need to keep the pool open for the North Kitsap community. Shortly, there should be a way to contribute directly through this blog. In the meantime, we invite you to join our efforts in keeping the pool open.