By Jon S. Thornton
Don’t rebuild the Natatorium.
We already have therapy balls and sand at the high school.
So shame on you, Mr. Robert Zirgulis, for requiring children to learn to swim and deal with water safety.
Your selfish needs to help disabled/non-disabled children’s water safety are being noticed.
So please stop.
I learned to swim on therapy balls and sand at Culver City High School and only drowned twice. The School District is broke.
I have seen it with the air conditioners crisis at the District office (thousands of them), and people are freezing. We need to build a super dome like the one being built and not some stupid pool that could help children in wheelchairs move better. Others, like selfish Special Ed teachers, complain that students would benefit from the pool because it teaches water safety and, oh, yeah, how to swim in case of an emergency. Big deal.
All you have to do is stuff empty water bottles in your underwear and you will float. They are teaching that stuff right now at the high school – so your child is safe from a drowning or Sharknado. These special- needs kids always get the best in parking already. Let’s not forget the free bus rides people.
And yet Mr. Z has concerns for water safety and taxpayer accountability. Suck it up, Mr. Z. You need to stop asking questions about what’s important. Stick your head in the sand and start swimming to a winning football season.
Here are my suggestions for the pool:
1. Clean-up process: 1.) Clear everything out the building and steam clean it with bleach and water. 2.) Remove all items blocking the main entrance to the pool area, including old furniture and equipment. 3.) Once the building is cleaned and cleared, the windows, roof and doors should be reinforced with steel mess, barbed wire, and grease lines, 3.) Electronic security systems, motion detectors and cameras, need to be put in place to prevent theft or vandalism. In past cleanups, this process was not followed.
2. Fixing the damage to the pool: 1.) Get an expert to assess the problems, Addison Pools/Drake 213.293.4595 or 818.205.9255. I would like Drake to look at the situation but I need a key. Mike said he needed your permission before he can assign a key.
3. Assisting with upkeep on the pool: 1.) Karen Wyatt is a certified lifeguard trainer. She would train CCHS students on water safety skills and work toward getting lifeguard certification for those interested. 2.) Funding for the pool could be raised through after-school programs, senior citizens programs, children’s water safety classes, water polo, filming through Sony, and general public use.
4. Cutting the electricity bill for the District: 1) Use cylinder lights in all classrooms that are able. 2.) Timer switches in all gyms. 3.) Solar panels in secure locations.
5. Benefits: 1.) Students in regular physical education and adapted physical education learn about health and safety issues related to swimming. 2.) Sony could rent out the pool for filming. 3.) Adapted Physical Education: Students with mobility issues will benefit from the pool by increasing their balance strength and endurance without the worry of falling. 4.) P.E. standards for swimming at the high school could be met. Currently, swimming is taught on a therapy ball at the high school. 5.) Culver Park will have to find another location instead of compacting an already problematic traffic area.
I am very creative and would like an opportunity to look at the situation from a different venue. I need a key, though, to assess the situation.
Jon S. Thornton, Adapted Physical Education, may be contacted at baddoggohome@gmail.com
