At the Aquatics Board Augustus Brown Pool Meeting in Assembly Chambers on Feb. 20 “Options For The Future; Option D3” in the agenda only had pros and positive things to say, without any of the cons.
This is not a fair discussion, and it appears that the Aquatics Board has already made up its mind to have the YMCA manage the pools, without having listened to any public testimony. Is this democratic?
With this option, the newly appointed board is not answerable to the Assembly, so Juneau citizens will lose all control of the pool; it is undemocratic.
On page 9, it states that Option D; “Provides access to YMCA’s knowledge-aquatics programs and design,” without stating how that is any different from the present program.
The American Red Cross, already has courses and manuals that are available, that are far superior to the YMCA’s. The American Red Cross has been doing aquatics for 100 years, and reduced drowning deaths by 90 percent; they are the gold standard for teaching swimming. Their courses and manuals are constantly improved yearly, with the experience of hundreds of aquatics instructors, every year in democratic meetings at the local, state and countrywide.
I have been an Aquatics Instructor for over 10 years at Seattle Public Schools, Berkeley Parks Department, Berkeley YMCA and Rich Whitman Swim School in Seattle; at Rich Whitman, I taught Montessori swim instructors how to teach aquatics.
I found that the YMCA’s swimming classes were inferior to the same category of Red Cross classes. The skills learned were less, and the distances tested were usually less.
People are required to pay $100 YMCA membership fee, there is no membership fee required for the pools now. Although you can use other YMCAs throughout the country, this does not benefit most of the people in Juneau. Costs for swimming at the Seattle YMCA, are double the rates currently charged at Juneau pools.
Page 9 of the agenda states: “Y offers competitive retirement and health insurance package.” Notice it does not say equal or equivalent retirement and health insurance packages. These benefits packages have not been presented, compared, to the Aquatics employees or those attending this Feb. 20 Aquatics Board Meeting.
Trying to change the benefits of employees without their permission is inconsiderate. No vote has been taken to see how the employees feel about changing their benefits.
The benefits for retirement and health care are not the same for working at the YMCA. Although some of the charges incurred by the City and Borough of Juneau may be less, the plans do not provide the same benefits.
Deductibles, services covered, yearly benefits maximums, interest rates copay; effect the quality of services. Benefits packages get the best deal when they are negotiated and bought at bulk rates.
School use of the pool is currently free, that will not necessarily continue with the YMCA.
A nonprofit makes a profit; it just uses a portion of that profit for its own causes. We would have no vote over what the profits are used for. Currently profits benefit Juneau and voters have a say in determining how profits of the pools are used.
The pool maintenance and construction involve millions of dollars and provide lucrative profits that would no longer be under the Juneau Assembly under Options C and D.
Option C is to change the board to an empowered board that could hire or fire its own Aquatics Director and select members instead of the Assembly doing it.
Option B appears to be the best choice since it maintains the current Aquatics Board. With the current Aquatics Board, the visits to the pool are up by 24,000 since the board was created and about 30 percent in the last three years. Cost recovery has improved by 4 percent.
• Greg Hayes grew up in Juneau and has been an aquatics instructor for more than 10 years.
