Southwestern High School junior Susie Philipp says swimming is her life. She spends her weekends not out with friends, like most teens, but instead at the gym or swimming pool conditioning and keeping in shape for the next swim season.
"This pool is my life," Philipp said. "It's my ticket into college."
When Philipp heard last week that the Southwestern School Board was going to close the middle and high school swimming pool for six months of the year to save money, she was upset. But she says she understands why the decision was made.
"From an outside view, it was the right decision, but I am not on the outside. I am on the inside. I understand times are hard and they had to make budget cuts. I am just disappointed. Our pre-season is cut and we can't accomplish the goals we set for next year without spending time in the pool," Philipp said.
Superintendent Steve Telfer said Friday that the school board decided to close the pool for six months to save $50,000. The shutdown of the pool began Friday. The pool will reopen Oct. 1, Telfer said.
The reopening will allow the high school girls and boys swim teams about a month of preseason time in the pool before the first meet in late October. Without the pool, the athletic teams will have to condition on dry land with weight room training and running before hitting the pool months later.
"We have to protect ourselves," Telfer said. "We have a cash balance to protect. We have $600,000 to reduce from the general fund. Budgets are tight right now in the state."
The cost of maintaining the 37-year-old swimming pool is about $100,000 a year, with $60,000 in electrical use, $22,000 in repairs and upkeep, $4,000 for water to fill and keep the water level maintained, salaries for lifeguards and natural gas bills for heating the area around the pool at 83 degrees year round.
Copyright 2025, The Madison Courier