As a former North Whidbey Park and Recreation District commissioner, I was present at the meeting when the Oak Harbor Rotary Club presented to the commissioners a resolution to approve placing a $1.7 million construction bond on the ballot for the construction of a swimming pool in our community and a Rotary pledge to assist and support our efforts. Rotary fulfilled that promise of support and we built the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool. There was no concurrent Maintenance and Operations Levy and no other organized community support group.

We built the facility suffering a building contractor default, organized the maintenance and operations of the pool and opened the facility in 1983. With no organized community support group, our first attempt to pass an M&O levy failed and, with no dependable financing in place, we closed the pool within months of opening. A small group in the community came together and, with help from the City of Oak Harbor, we passes a small levy and reopened the pool. Since that time, commissioners and small groups have managed to pass basic levies and keep the pool operating for our community. Did you know we were treated to an exhibition by the U.S. Olympic Diving Team at our pool?

The pool serves the needs of young children to learn water safety, teens to swim recreationally and competitively, adults to continue exercise routines and seniors the opportunity for gentle body and joint care. Factions within these same groups, over time, brought competition for funds and were not useful in supporting the ongoing need for an impartial and well formed community organization. With levy failures again, the pool was forced to close.

Even without being able to use this facility, the community continues to incur the cost for the facility to sit unused. One cannot simply lock the doors. Certain maintenance must be done to protect the integrity of the pool and building. It is my hope North Whidbey Community Pool & Recreation Foundation will be that ongoing voice in the community to support the commissioners as they work to reopen the pool and to continue that support into the future to make our pool the true gift our town gave itself in 1980.

• Claire H. Reed is a former commissioner for the North Whidbey Pool, Park and Recreation District.