Take it up with the city

It's hot, and hot weather makes my thoughts, and my children's, turn to pools. We have a galvanized kiddie pool in our backyard, which will get flipped over on Tuesday, and I know I am welcome at my aunt's in-ground, lovely, peaceful, private backyard pool anytime I'd like. Unfortunately she lives in Des Peres, and so that's kind of a hike. But on a lazy summer day, hey.

A public pool, though, is fun and useful. Last year I made a phone call to Maplewood to see how I might join. I knew I was a non-resident and it would be pricey ($300 for the summer) but my kids needed swim lessons and I was done paying for the little Turner's Club on an all-year basis to use the pool in the summer--and the swim lessons were lousy. Well, it turned out that my city ward was included in a special resident rate zone and so the whole summer cost me $120. Well spent.

I called this morning, and the super secret resident zone has shrunk and we're not on the guest list. Disappointing but realistic--our ward is nowhere near that suburb and it was good while it lasted. $300 was going to be a big bite, but we're going on vacation, etc.

And then I thought to myself, maybe I should check out the Carondelet pool. The city ceded park land to the YMCA to build a recreation/pool complex. The original plan as I understood it was for the Y to run it for the city. Now, I have a grudge against the Y due to the South City branch striking out with me 3 times--it was just really poorly managed when we were members. Long story. But standing in my kitchen this morning I thought to myself, let's just see. I checked online. Flashy website. No fee information. Call for details. Maplewood has a pdf you can click on and see, plain as day, how much it'll cost you. Hmm. What's the Y hiding?

But I called. "For city residents, it is $69 per month for a family," she told me. I did the math--more than Maplewood last year but less than this year. Seemed fair. She went on: "And that includes the indoor pool complex and the gym, and--"

"What about the outdoor pool?"

"No, that's separate. If you join the Y for $69 per month, it's an additional $120 for the summer for city residents."

$327.

"Well, what if I'm just interested in the outdoor pool--I don't want to join for the rest, just the pool?"

"That's a one-time fee for the summer of $380."

"Three hundred and eighty?" I repeat. "I can join Maplewood's pool for $300, and that's as a non-resident."

"I don't set the fee schedule," she says like a typical corporate employee.

"So you're saying that we gave up public land--park land--to you and you're going to charge city residents $380 to walk in the door."

"If you have a problem with that you can take it up with the city."

I was so furious. I mean, if it were just the YMCA and they had a pool and it was pricey, so be it. But this whole project was sold to us with the idea that city residents would finally have a pool worth going to, that the Y would run it but it would be ours--I mean, it carved out a huge chunk of Carondelet Park to create it in the first place. Ceding public land to private organizations--even ones that are warm and fuzzy seeming like the YMCA, I mean, how can they be bad, they're the Y--sets a dangerous precedent. And now here we are. $380. Who is going to join for that? Or even the $330? I guess there will be folks who join the Y and add on for the pool. Probably plenty of people and I'm standing alone here with my indignation and yeah, used to that.

So I'm thinking I'm going to be calling my aunt in Des Peres. I mean, I don't need swim lessons this year, with Ackerman for Maeve and Sophia knows what she's doing now (thanks to Ackerman). If I can bring lunch three times a month and have my kids swim (and bring a friend for free, frankly) and sit and chat with my aunt? That's worth it.

Or maybe we'll join Maplewood--I mean, I was going to join it for $300 last summer, and I am truly a non-resident. So there you go. My kids love that pool and it's a great facility.

I do have a problem with it, thank you very much Miss YMCA. I don't know if taking it up with the city is going to be useful, I mean, they're the ones who gave you the damned park land as an option in the first place.