Prescott’s Pool Deserves A “Yes”

On a drive back from the Tri Cities, the first sign of home in the Touchet Valley comes into view just after you drive by the right turn that goes south. On that last stretch of Highway 124 before you get into Prescott, it lies to the left of the road and it's steeped in blue - a cooling sight on a hot day.

We're talking, of course, about the Prescott swimming pool, which has been a fixture in the townscape for half a century, an oasis in the beautiful but dry summer wheat fields that invites to "come swim with us."

It's a community asset in the truest sense of the word: a facility supported by its residents for its residents, particularly its kids.

Every year, voters in Prescott have to approve a tax levy that col- lects roughly $110,000 to operate and maintain the pool. This year, a presidential election year, is no exception. The levy means home owners pay 45 cents for every $1,000 of assessed valuation, as they have done in most years past. It is not an addition to residents' current tax statements.

Because of some positive developments in the pool's planning, oversight and management, this year's levy on Nov. 6 - Proposition 1 - reportedly has solid community support, but it's never a slam dunk for a measure that requires at least 60 percent of the vote to pass.

Last year, the M&O levy received 62 percent. In 2009, it failed because that percentage fell just below 60 percent, the first time in the 30-year history of the junior taxing district for the Prescott Joint Parks & Recreation District.

That means a super majority can't be taken for granted. And be- cause we favor a "yes" vote on Proposition 1, we're here to remind our readers in Prescott about the importance of the quenching blue facility that greets drivers at the entrance of town.

In all three of our valley's towns, the swimming pools represent the heart of summer life. It's where many hours are spent and fond memories are made. Thanks to a warmer season than last year, the Prescott pool this summer was open 83 days and drew an average 61 swimmers per day. That compares to 72 days and an average of 69 swimmers per day in 2012.

Users came from as far as Vista Hermosa, the JubileeYouth Ranch and Walla Walla. The core of the regulars was from Prescott and sur- roundings - if the sale of the popular family season passes was any indication, district Commissioner Patsy Adams Warnock says.

But just as importantly, if not more importantly in some ways, swimming pools can help save lives.

More than 1,500 children and teens in the country die each year from drowning. In Washington, about 25 youngsters each year lose their lives to such accidents, most of which occur when they are swimming, boating or just playing in or near water, according to Seattle Children's Hospital.

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among children and youths in the state, with 85 percent of the drownings occurring in open water, such as lakes and rivers.

This summer, 25 children took swimming lessons and learned to swim in a program to which the participating families contribute only a portion of the cost. The rest is paid for by the levy. In a com- munity where many families enjoy spending time on the Snake and Columbia rivers, such skills can help prevent serious mishaps and the loss of life.

On another outdoor safety note, the pools in Prescott, Waitsburg and Dayton also give local children a safe alternative to using the riskier swimming holes on the Touchet River. All three towns should consider their pools jewels in the crown of the capital assets and keep them in tip top shape on behalf of this and future generations of kids.

Even a much larger town like Walla Walla can't claim an outdoor swimming pool among its services, which is one of the reasons why families from that area escape to our facilities to cool off and have some family fun.

For the sake and safety of our children, we urge Prescott voters to pass Proposition 1 this November and we encourage city councils in Waitsburg and Dayton to do what they can to continue supporting their pools.