I got some emails from some readers about the fact that the Steiner Ranch Master Association denied the request (link here) to allow the Aquatics Swim Team to have exclusive use of the Bella Mar Lap Pool during the winter months if they paid for heating the pool and related expenses. Supposedly the board balked at the last minute and asked for resident feedback at the last minute. I remember this because the email was sent out Thursday and a response was required pretty quickly. The wording of the survey was not very clear and some residents misunderstood that the regular Bella Mar Pool would be closed also, when in fact it was just the lap pool.
My take on it is this. The lap pool is basically unusable during the winter months anyway, and even if you want to use it you can do so during the specified times and it would be heated. There are still three more pools in Steiner Ranch that residents can use if need be. So I don’t see the big harm in it, unless you really only want to swim in the lap pool during these times. I like the lap pool, but if its cold I don’t go in. If you feel the same way check out this petition. If you don’t agree post a comment below so we can get a feel of other people’s opinions.
On an unrelated note check out my Technorati Profile.
10 responses so far ↓
1 RebelXT // Jan 30, 2008 at 10:09 am
Thanks for posting this. Steiner needs a heated pool during the winter! Please sign the petition.
2 ARS // Jan 30, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I agree. Some people would like to be able to swim laps in the winter time and they can’t do that if the pool isn’t heated, unless they are members of the Polar Bear Club.
3 Seth in Savannah // Jan 31, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I’ve really enjoyed seeing this blog - thanks for running it. I like it even more now that I see in Technorati that you’re a Wolverine - GO BLUE!
4 Greg // Feb 3, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Please read all of the details of the proposed agreement, as the request would turn over exclusive use of the resident funded pool to an outside group. I support heating and winter use of the pool. The board should follow through on the original commit to heat the pool. If the swim group is interested, charge them for use, maintaining at least 2 lanes for resident use at all times. Its our neighborhood and the resident funded facilities should not be up for sale.
5 Chris // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:23 am
I must agree with Greg. It would be nice to have a heated pool. However, I’m completely against paying for a pool that I will not be able to use during certain times of the day. Maybe the HOA would be good enough to lower our rates for the months that the pool would be limited, but I doubt that will happen.
6 H Kenney // Jun 3, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Out of 4 pools in our community, it would be nice to have just the one heated. There are not any pools nearby that are heated. I’d be happy to start a masters program or triathlon program for Steiner if we could do this.
I moved to Steiner because I thought Icould use the pool year round for swimming and of course am very dissapointed to learn otherwise now.
7 Chris // Jun 4, 2008 at 9:34 am
H Kenney,
If the proposal had passed (which it didn’t in part due to a large response to the hoa board from residents), the pool that would have been heated (Bella Mar) would have been completely closed to Steiner Ranch residents during the months that the heating was necessary (7 months total). Since my hoa fees pay for that pool, I would personally rather have access to the pool year round, even if the water is a little cold in the off months.
8 ARS // Jun 4, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Chris,
That is not completly true. According to the petition and this is directly from the petition:
“The pool will be un-tarped during swim club practice hours Monday-Friday from 4-7 PM. Two lap lanes will be reserved for Steiner resident usage during swim club practice hours, which will be of benefit to fitness and masters swimmers and tri-athletes.”
9 Chris // Jun 4, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Maybe I’m incorrect, but there seems to be a discrepancy somewhere. This is from the hoa website, and the previous newsletter:
The SRMA Board of Directors considered a great deal of information and multiple opinions in connection with the Aquatics Swim Team (“Aquatics”) proposal to have exclusive use and control of the Bella Mar pool for a term of 5 years during the seven month winter swimming season, in exchange for Aquatics installing a pool heater and paying for the related natural gas and pool maintenance expenses during this seven month winter swim season. In addition, the Board consulted with its legal counsel, insurance agent and other professionals. Ultimately the proposal was not approved, but it was not for lack of effort or understanding on the Board’s part. To the Board’s surprise, the recent survey of Steiner Ranch residents revealed significant opposition to the proposal. This weighed heavily in the Board’s decision not to accept the proposal.
http://www.steinerranchhoa.org/steiner-ranch-news/latest/winter-pool-usage-decision-2.html
As I said before, I’m personally against anything that prevents me from having access to something that I pay for. I can understand that not everyone will share this opinion, but that’s the way I feel.
10 Chris // Jun 4, 2008 at 4:25 pm
ARS
Found the official decision - you are correct. However, this doesn’t change my feeling. Two lanes M-F from 4-7 pm is not really adequate for a community the size of Steiner Ranch. Personally, I do not get home until 6:30 pm anyway, so I would have been completely out of luck.
“The Board was also faced with the first proposal in its history which would deny access by Steiner Ranch residents to an HOA-owned facility, even though the facility is available for use. In this case, in order to keep the pool maintenance and heating costs of Aquatics down to a level the proponent was able to bear, the proposal stipulated that the pool be restricted against residents’ use during the portion of each year when the pool is heated, except for 2 lanes which would be made available on a “first come, first served” basis from 4:00-7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The rest of the time the facility must be closed. Many residents objected to this and the Board felt very uncomfortable with the proposed access restrictions, particularly since they would have been in place for seven months out of each calendar year for a period of 5 years.”
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