Letters

As a member of the board of STAR, the Southampton Town Aquatic Recreation Center — our future indoor pool — I read with great interest the Sunday New York Times article “Why We Need More Public Pools” (July 30, by Mara Gay).

America is facing a public health crisis, where 11 people die by drowning every day. According to a Red Cross survey, more than half of the population lacks basic swimming abilities. In our community, with easy access to oceans, bays and ponds, we are particularly at risk.

Many people who lived in the city and in the suburbs learned to swim in high school pools or at the YMCA. Out here, there are no high school pools, and the only Y is in East Hampton. Another public pool is currently being built in Montauk, with the Town of East Hampton footing much of the bill. Students from Bridgehampton, Southampton, Tuckahoe, Hampton Bays, Westhampton Beach and Remsenburg have no public pool in which to learn to swim while they are in school.

The STAR pool on Magee Street will be the answer to this problem. We will offer swimming lessons to schoolchildren and training for lifeguards, among other activities.

The article notes, “The most beloved public pools, when they receive good investment, attract Americans of many backgrounds, creating a space for people to swim and play together who may not otherwise interact. Like libraries and parks, they are an essential piece of social infrastructure in a democracy.” This is what STAR aspires to be for the Town of Southampton.

We are grateful to the person who gave a gift of $100 anonymously; we are grateful for the $500,000 matching grant from the Environmental Protection Fund for Parks, Preservation and Heritage through the New York State Regional Economic Councils; we are extremely proud that our lead donor, the Klinsky family, has provided us with a $5 million challenge donation.

But we need so much more — close to $20 million to get this up and running. As our board member, former congressman Tim Bishop, has said, “Great communities deserve great facilities.”

We hope you will help by going to our website, learning more about our pool and donate if you wish at staraquacenter.org/donate.

Judi Roth

North Sea