Madison exists because Judge James Duane Doty purchased 1261 acres of wilderness between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and distributed subplots to enough people until the territorial government selected his site as the new capital. Madison exists because of the lakes and for a century and a half the residents refreshed themselves from the summer heat in the cool waters.
Today, the Wisconsin State Journal reports our first and only public swimming pool in Madison ends the year with a “$140,000 operating loss”. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, self avowed proponent of city ownership, pushed construction of a pool through City Council with support from Progressive Dane. A brief synopsis shows the construction cost approved at $4,125,000 then increased to $4,850,000 and topped off with an extra $31,590 “to seek” an environmental award. For good measure, the project financially links to the school system to provide swimming lessons.
Pool draws many but leaves deficit: In general, "the mayor was very pleased to see the success of the pool in terms of attendance and of diversity," said George Twigg, spokesman for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. "On any given day, the Goodman pool was the most diverse place to be in Madison."
Sound fiscal policy can afford to be secondary to diversity when you have the power of taxation to even up the rough spots. By the way, Mayor Dave also reveals his new budget for next year with only a teeny tiny little 3.6 percent tax increase offered. As for the swimming lessons … well lifeguards made “nearly 90 serious rescues” at the pool.
"These are teens and adults who go off the diving board and don't have the swimming ability to get to the side of the pool." … It goes back to a very basic point in Madison," he said. "I believe there are generations of families who never learned to swim."
I’m sure most of the rescued have a union made public education to display that much trust in government employees to save them.
