From: Jennifer Raycroft

Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2013 1:09 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Pool Comments

Here at Heritage, we have been fortunate in having the ability to utilize the NMS pool. All of our fourth graders benefit from it through the Fourth Grade Swimming program. Every class spends 5 afternoons receiving instruction in water

safety and swimming skills from Mr. Keller and his high school staff. For some kids, this is their only chance to learn to swim and hear the potentially life saving lessons about how to keep themselves and others safe near water. We also use

the pool for our Olweus Good Bystander Swims. These are quarterly incentives for kids who make good choices and live

our No Bully message. Each class room sends 2-3 representatives each time, allowing 60-80 students to be recognized for their positive behavior.

Without the NMS pool, I am afraid that both of these programs would cease to exist. I know that the high school pool is used very frequently, which would likely prevent 13 classes from spending 5 days in the pool. In addition, the loss of

class time (and potential cost of busing) to get kids over to the high school would be additional deterrents to the continuation of these programs. I feel strongly that students at HIS benefit from having the pool at Northridge Middle

School open. Jen Raycroft Assistant Principal Heritage Intermediate School 56647 Northridge Drive Middlebury, Indiana 46540 574-822-5396 ***************************************************************************************************************************************

From: Michael Ridenour

Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2013 1:17 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Pool closing comment

To whom it may concern:

When the new high school was in the planning stages an informal referendum was passed

around the community on whether or not to build a new auditorium and competition

pool. There were two reasons given for the new pool: the current pool no longer met new

state regulations for competition pools; and the current pool was being utilized from

early in the morning through well into the evening, and more groups were asking for pool

time. Thus the new pool solved two different problems.

If the old pool is closed the scheduling problems that existed prior to the building of

the new pool will return, and many of the groups that now use the old pool will find

themselves without a facility, or forced to use timeslots that are not appropriate.

Recently the water aerobics class had to move to the new pool while the old one was

closed for repairs, and was forced to move its time slot from 7:30p-8:30p to 8:00p-

9:00p. The majority of the participants in this class are over 50 years old, and many

over 65. Expecting this age group to be out past 9:00p to attend an exercise class is

unreasonable. Many of the attendees are there because more traditional exercising is not

practical due to various medical conditions, so going to a gym would not be a solution

for them. It would, unfortunately, mean a number of people in need of exercise would

have nowhere to go.

Northridge Middle School

Swimming Pool Issue

Public Comments

Updated Comments: 2/15/2013

All Comments and Questions

must be submitted by:

2/15/2013

This is a valuable community asset, and one that should not be discarded

capriciously. If the choice is made to remove the old pool it would be a decision nearly

impossible to reverse and would adversely affect a number of members of the

community. Please consider doing what is necessary to retain both pools.

Thank you for your consideration.

Michael Ridenour

402 W Warren St

Middlebury IN ************************************************************************************

From: Stephanie Lee

Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 9:33 AM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: pool input

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input. It is especially convenient to be able to do this via email. As a parent in the community, my opinion is that the middle school pool should be closed. The cost of upkeep seems excessive. The middle school classrooms seems quite crowded so perhaps the new space could free up some overcrowding. Since we have a the new pool, it seems reasonable that a school system/community of our size could easily “share” the high school pool. Again, thank you for the opportunity to share my opinion. Stephanie Lee ************************************************************************************************* From: mattandvelda@frontier.com

Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 1:47 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: pool

Hi,

I would like to see the pool fixed and remain open. I have enjoyed using it as part of the water arrobics class

that is/has been held there. Also love that swim lessons for children are held year round and both my children

participate in this. Love the fact that the intermediate kids can use it as part of gym class.. I know it will be

costly but please consider leaving it as a pool.

Thank You,

Velda Eash ************************************************************************************************* From: Dale Brubaker

Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 12:47 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Northridge Middle School Pool

I just recently moved to Fieldstone Crossings, my husband and I were going to inquire on whether there was an

option to use one of the pools at the Northridge middle or senior high schools. I was dismayed to read the

article talking about closing the Middle school pool. There is a push in America for children to be active,

filling in an existing pool does not adhere to keeping children active.

I have no children in my household, but I want to voice my opinion in retaining the pool. Fix it so our children

will still be active. Busing of children to another facility only incurs additional transportation cost.

Thank you. *************************************************************************************************

From: Mike Ahonen

Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 12:56 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

I appreciate the opportunity to make some comments as the choice on the future of the NMS Pool is decided. The pool was originally built to service the Middlebury Community School corporation (High School) and with the information I see it is serving a different age group of students but is still providing for those activities and function for Middlebury community schools. In addition it is also still serving the community when possible as evidenced by the numbers involved in using it. Why would we not continue to maintain and use the facility. It is hard to justify cost expenditures on many stand alone activities involved in education and community benefits. In looking at the cost associated with this project- it seems to be a much better option than what Goshen is looking at with the Community Center currently being discussed. This is only a small part of what the Goshen community center is doing but what Middlebury would be doing is at a significantly lower cost even for just that portion. The area has a design and is built for a specific purpose (pool)- to try and “find” and modify this area to something that might be some benefit to the School Corporation because it would be at a lower cost is usually an endeavor that makes sense on “paper” at some level but is short sided and ultimately does not get the desired results.

Mike Ahonen

************************************************************************************************* From: Kjclarke@aol.com

Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 2:53 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

I'm not certain I will be able to attend the next informational meeting due to schedule conflicts, but I wanted to voice my concern. I am a CPA and completely understand the financial guidelines, stewardship of tax dollars, controlling/lowering operating costs, etc. And I also know how hard this is to balance with needs, wants, public opinion, etc. I was 100% in favor of building the new high school and related facilities (including the pool, auditorium and gym...too bad the gym didn't happen) even though my children would not ever use them. I believe the facilities are part of a well-rounded education and should also provide the community with opportunities. I have been involved in the aqua aerobics classes for many years at the old pool. I know how much both pools are used and it would be a shame to close down the old pool. When it was being repaired last fall, we fortunately were able to squeeze in a time slot at the high school pool. However, grateful I was for the opportunity to continue the class at NHS during the repairs at NMS, the NHS pool is not conducive to aqua aerobics due to the shallowness and roughness of pool bottom of the part of the pool we were allowed to use. With all of the other activities happening at the NMS, I'm doubtful our aqua aerobics would be given scheduling preference and may be canceled if we consolidate to one pool.

I believe the NMS pool is important in allowing the younger school children to learn to swim and actually get much needed exercise in today's sedimentary lifestyle. I also believe all of the adult classes, diving lessons, swimming lessons and other extra-curricular activities are important to maintain a healthy society/community. I don't have any fantastic suggestions on how to obtain the additional money needed to pay for the continuing operations, but hopefully someone will. I do appreciate Ms. Allen bringing this to the attention of the public and allowing the public to comment as we are educated on the specifics. This is a great community and I'm proud to have raised my children in this school system! Kim Clarke

************************************************************************************************* From: Wendy Bernth

Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 1:06 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

Mrs. Allen: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to address the issue of maintaining the NMS pool. Although, I felt last week's presentation was very informative, I felt the figures were VERY MISLEADING... First of all, the amount that NASA provides the school yearly was not subtracted from the expenses of maintaining the NMS pool. I am very disappointed that our $10000 donation is not important to the school. Secondly, if the $27000 custodial figure is part of the the NMS pool expense and if the custodial person is going to be maintained by the school, should not be included in the expense of the pool. The custodial work done on the weekend is not only supporting the middle school pool, but also the high school pool. This person also does various chores on the weekend outside the pool arena and the total expense should not be included with the pool. It should never in total be included with the NMS pool. Also, disappointed that the figure stated in the presentation regarding the pool cover states a "probable" savings of $15,000. I have verified that the MINIMUM annual savings is $15000 and more like $25000 annual expense savings. Also, it was underestimated the cost of maintaining a warehouse. Would like to see more information of how that figure is arrived at??? Would also like to see information if the space was converted to classrooms as well. In my opinion, there can be no price tag put on providing life skills such as swimming with our youth. It would be very detremental to the community if the additional pool would close. I am sure there are additional revenue streams available to expand programming as well that have not been included in the presentation. Thank you for listening to these questions! Wendy Bernth

************************************************************************************************* From: Doug and Jackie Schnell

Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 6:20 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: keeping pool open

To Whom it may concern: Good evening. This e-mail serves to make the statement that as a tax paying family in the Middlebury School System, we are very much in favor of keeping the swimming pool in the middle school open as it provides a valuable tool/place to

teach young children within the school system, who might not have an opportunity outside of school, how to swim; as well a providing a place to swim for other taxpaying members in the community who may not have children. Doug and Jackie Schnell 58071 Crystal Springs Dr. Goshen, IN 46528

************************************************************************************************* From: Mike Weber

Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 12:14 AM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Northridge Middle School Pool

This email is in regards to Jane Allen’s January 8th public discussion of the Northridge Middle School pool. The presentation made a case for keeping the pool open. Two points warrant further clarification and elaboration. The first and most important is the safety of our children: during Joe Keller’s tenure, no student in the school system has lost their life to drowning. Without the middle school pool, over 900 middle school students will lose their water safety education – and for many of these kids, this is the only water safety education they get. In addition many younger kids will lose their access to year round swim lessons.

The second point that warrants revisiting is financial. I hope that the school board will not rely solely on the PowerPoint presentation in making their decision, as it contains missing information and misinformation, and the source of this data was not cited, other than the SCO Engineering study. The potential cost savings of closing the pool seemed exaggerated and frankly incorrect. For example, custodial costs of 27,549 were shown as an expense of keeping the pool open, though Ms. Allen verbally stated that no custodian would be let go if the pool is closed. So this is not a savings. And would the repurposed warehouse not need cleaning and upkeep? Also not accounted for was the loss of the annual $10,000 NASA contribution to pool maintenance. Extra busing costs of $2,500 that would be incurred if the pool were closed, and the loss of revenue from current community use was also absent from the presentation. Further, adding a pool cover would reduce heating costs by at least $15,000 annually. Added together, conservatively, that is a reduction of at least $55,000 to $60,000 in the “savings” of closing the pool. Further unaccounted for was any potential income NASA may generate from its events, as well as other potential revenue by granting pool access to LaGrange residents, Goshen College students and possibly Goshen High School, among others. None of these income or potential income items were presented. Nor was it noted that the ‘warehouse’ entails only costs and has no income-producing possibilities. With the school budget over $40 million, this “potential savings” is a miniscule percentage of the budget.

Even more concerning, the PowerPoint information about the future repurposing of the warehouse lacked complete and realistic disclosure. It showed only the tip of the iceberg - the short term cost of filling in the pool, basically. The true long term fate of that empty space and the incumbent cost was not addressed at all; that is a whole other, enormous project with its own looming costs. If the hypothetical warehouse is turned into classrooms or any other sort of rooms, the costs of keeping the pool would surely pale in comparison to the repurposing’s capital costs alone, not to mention additional staffing costs and ongoing overhead costs. Repurposing means significant costs that were completely ignored and glossed over at the informational meetings. To pay over half a million dollars to fill in the pool, then incur literally millions more in the future makes no financial sense, and to fail to identify and quantify this long term cost is myopic and irresponsible.

The pool is widely used by both the community and our students. It was amazing to see the swimming schedule during the year, almost 12 hours a day of use during the school season. Many in the Middlebury

community will have reduced or limited access to fitness activities they currently enjoy. On average there is approximately 20,000 splashes in the pool a year. Overall, the pool provides many benefits and is a valuable asset for the school system and community. To turn a valuable asset that emphasizes educational curriculum into a warehouse does not logically make sense. ************************************************************************************************* From: Bruce Nethercutt Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2013 9:21 PM

To: NMS Pool *Answers to questions below will be posted on the FAQ webpage Subject: pool questions

To the Board of School Trustees,

I have grouped these questions into two main groups as they are related.

Question #1

How many more children and adults have had access to swimming with two pools? How much has the

program grown? What is the trending? Was there a Masters program, water aerobics, morning and evening

lap swim, year round swimming lessons and an Arthritis Group before we utilized two pools?

Thoughts:

After researching the CDC website, I found that the 5th

leading cause of unintentional death of all ages is

drowning. According to the CDC, on average, 10 people die per day from drowning. The CDC notes children

are particularly at risk

According to “Consumer Reports”, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1-4.

Aside from the health and safety benefits swimming is now one of the most popular sports in America.

The Marshal Index shows an upward trend in swimming sports and this trend is expected to continue.

The National Sporting Goods Association’ annual survey also reports a growing trend of swimming

participation. Among the reasons cited were the realization that recreational swimming has a very low

incidence of injury, is not limited by physical handicaps, is a life skill that prevents death and a growing

popularity due to the recent successes of American Swimmers in international forums.

A survey reported in the National Federation of State High School Associations index showed swimming and

diving had the greatest increase in participants of boys and girls.

Public school programs give a greater opportunity for children to obtain swimming instruction than private

schools or privately owned pools.

Question #2

How much less attractive would our school system be if we seriously cut back the most successful program it

has ever had? How many kids have come here just for the swimming and diving program? How much money

does the school get for these kids? Was that money figured into the figures presented? How many kids have

won scholarships as a result of this program?

Thoughts:

How many conference titles have the boys and girls swimming and diving teams won? According to the

Elkhart Truth, the girls have won 12 straight and the boys 13 straight titles.

I know of several families who have come to Northridge just for the swimming and diving programs. Can the

school system afford to lose families and participants from cuts made in the most successful program we’ve

ever had?

I know many families whose children have received scholarships and financial aid as a result of their child’s

swimming or diving abilities. What kind of value do you place on that?

I work with a person who lives in Lagrange Co. He says that he heard of a plan for Lagrange Co. residence to

use our pools. Is this the case? and if not, is it being looking into for additional funds?

Thank you for your time in considering these questions.

Respectfully submitted

Bruce Nethercutt

firemedic45@hotmail.com

****************************************************************************************

From: Braden Weldy Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 1:40 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: NMS Pool input from NHS Alum, 2002

To Whom It May Concern,

I am attaching a personal statement in Adobe PDF form, in support of keeping the Northridge Middle School

Pool and re-furbishing it for continued use as an aquatic venue. If a word document or text in email is

preferred, I can re-send the document in the best format.

I understand that the Board seeks input from community members, and as I have direclty benefited from my

involvement with Middlebury aquatic programs, hope my voice may be heard and received for consideration.

If there are any questions or further discussion desired, please contact me. Thank you.

Very Respectfully,

Braden Weldy

**************************************************************************************** From: eamilo@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 9:22 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Keeping the Pool open, I hope!!

I had been swimming at the Goshen College Rec. Center for years, and of course that shut down, so I started coming up to the Northridge Middle School pool. You have two fine pools, and Northridge is definitely the Swimming Capital of Elkhart County. You are doing great things for encouraging a healthy lifestyle for adults, as well as the kids in the

Northridge School system. I just feel that it would be a big mistake to shut it down, considering how much good it is doing for so many people. I believe the cost is very much worth the taxpayers' money. I encourage you to keep it open. Ed Minnick

**************************************************************************************** From: Terri Wentz Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 4:14 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: More than a splash!

We may be counted as a splash. But, let me tell you, we are much more than just bodies in your pool. Wanda Weirich's group of women and yes, a few fellows, experience more than just water aerobics. We get so much more than elevating our heart rates and toning our muscles out of these classes. Our exercising in the Middle School Pool has developed into a community of caring & sharing. Over many years of Tuesday & Thursday classes, we have shared books & recipes, flower starts and laughter, lots of laughter! We have shared joys and prayers for healing for grief. Tears and tragedies have joined us in this special bond. We have helped each other through the loss of loved ones and the pains of cancer. This camaraderie has made us a community, not just a "splash" in the pool. No other place would have brought this group together. You might suggest this will all be able to flourish at the high school pool, but I disagree. During the 6 weeks we used that pool, (during recent repairs) our number count went way down. The reasons include: the time change, the coldness of the water, the cramp locker room experience and the pool itself. The pool is wonderful for swimmers & competitions. However, not so great for water aerobics. The depth or shallowness is not friendly for those of us who are looking for low impact on our knees or getting better resistance in underwater exercises. The floor of the pool has filtration & draining devices in this area that are painful to land on when barefoot. Please take these into consideration, as you decide on the future of the Middle School Pool. P.S. Since the swimming program is so important to the Middlebury & Northridge Community, the budding middle school students deserve to have access to a pool in their building, too. Thank you,

Terri Wentz ... a twelve years participant in water aerobics classes

***************************************************************************************** MCS School Board,

I have been fortunate enough to be the Middle School Physical Education teacher here for almost 20 years. Over that

period of time there have been many changes in curriculum, teacher requirements, graduation requirements, etc... My teaching partners and I have learned through experience how some lessons work better than others with our students,

and how some subjects (sports) are more popular than others. Swimming has always been one of our best units. While there may be a lot of student apprehension about changing into

swim suits with class mates, swimming at the same time as the opposite gender, and messing up a well-styled hair-do it is still at the top of the "fun" list. Our students enjoy swimming; most of them look forward to it asking "Do we get to

swim today?" vs. "Do we have to run today?"

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise. Because they are having fun, many of our students don't realize what a great work out they are getting. They leave class telling us "Wow, I'm really tired now!" What a great thing to hear from our

students! They CAN have fun and be physically active as well. The school pool is the only opportunity some of our students have to experience swimming. It may seem unusual,

however every session we have anywhere from 2-10 students that cannot swim at all because they have no access to a

pool. The family may never go to the lake, or to a river to swim so the student has only one access to swim activities. Students learn about open gym and swim times during our swim lessons. My hope is if the student enjoys swimming

they will go home and tell their parents about it. Once the swimming in PE is done they are now aware of the other opportunities available to them.

The most important reason I would ask you to keep the pool open is because of the life long and possibly life saving skills we work on. Learning how to swim competitively as a student or an adult is great, but that is not our goal. Having

fun is our number one goal, with safety a close second. Learning some basic skills that prevent panic and anxiety in deep water is one of the most important things we work on. No swim instructor can guarantee a person will be "drown-

proof." Every individual reacts to situations in different ways. We try to teach the students to make good choices about where they swim (their comfort level), and work on basic floating and stroke skills. Our students learn basic rules about

how to act around the pool, and why they cannot jump in without an instructor present. For the past 12 years or so I have also been a swim instructor during summer swim lessons. This again, is an

opportunity to teach valuable life, and life saving lessons. Thousands of Middlebury students learned to swim at our

pool. If we take away that opportunity where will the next group go? Some of them simply won't learn to swim. This brings the situation back to my experience in the classroom. Teaching 4 year olds to swim can have it's challenges, but

teaching a 7th grader with little to no water experience is almost impossible. I think the pool is an invaluable asset to our schools and to our community. I ask that you work on ways to keep it open

rather than working on how to close it.

PLAY BALL!! Anne Griffith

Northridge Middle School Physical Education Northridge High School Assistant Athletic Director

574-822-5088

*****************************************************************************************

From: Beth Bender

Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 11:31 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Public Input

I am a community 61 year old male that uses the Middle school pool on Tues and Thursday for Lap Swim. I would like to see the pool stay open for more than just my use. I feel all of the swim lessons will save lives of young people over the years, not to mention all of the health benefits.

*****************************************************************************************

From: dwrisser@juno.com

Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 11:06 AM To: NMS Pool

Subject: [SPAM]

As a resident of Middlebury for 42 years, and still owning property on Eugene Drive in Middlebury, I would

like to encourage you to keep the Northridge pool open. It was built for "community use" and I used it for lap

swim in the mornings for about 15 yrs. I liked that pool over the new h.s. pool as it had access by steps down

into the pool and I sometimes have problems with balance. I saw the limited use when having to share with the

swim team some mornings. I feel it is important to continue the 4h grade learning to swim program as it

teaches safety and also may be a feeder into the NASA program. As a former high school teacher, I know what

it is like to have share one facility with many in a school corporation.

***************************************************************************************** Dear MCS School Board.

Questions: *Answers to questions below will be posted on the FAQ webpage

At what value does the school board represent each student’s life? Cost benefit analysis varies tremendously

depending upon the perspective. What number does the school board use to make decisions?

We spend thousands to provide protection for our children from uncommon threats. Drowning is the second leading

cause of accidental injury death in children ages 1-14, per the CDC’s most recent numbers for 2011. Is MCS supporting a

higher level of education in this area, or is the minimum sufficient and the families of our community will live with the

consequences?

Is there going to be a more accurate “bottom line” presented at some point that accounts for both the true attributable

expenses and the offsetting revenues that were not counted in the “bottom line“ calculation slide? Maybe this has

already been provided to the school board but not to the public in writing and is a material error, whether intentional

or not, it needs to be corrected.

What will be the cost of the G.O. Bond to the average household?

From a financial perspective, it is timely to consider a GO Bond, we are at 50 year lows in the interest rate market.

Many municipalities are refinancing existing debt or looking at long term needs to lock in the low interest rates. I am

sure MCS has additional needs beyond the existing pool that could be addressed in the GO Bond. What are these

needs? What is the plan?

Our existing NMS pool has embedded value in the structure, to truly replace the facility would be 4-5 times the cost of

just updating the operating systems. Warehousing the facility is taking educational space, turning it into dead space,

can we afford that?

Comments/Concerns:

The biggest impact of the pool closing is on the age 1-14 children of our community not affiliated with the NASA

competitive program. The loss of the pool will significantly impact their ability to save themselves from a potential

drowning in the future. Closing the pool will drastically reduce the number of available swim lesson opportunities and

all but eliminate the opportunity for significant water education for the Intermediate and Middle School students.

Having taught swimming lessons and been a lifeguard in the past, in my opinion it is impossible to teach swimming, let

alone adequate basic lifesaving water skills in 5 one-hour sessions at age 10. ( existing 4th grade program)

I see the smallest impact of the pool closing on the NASA families. We have chosen to educate our children to a higher

level of swimming skills to provide for their safety for life. Families that identify this need will find a way to make it

happen whether you close the pool or not. Our focus is to pay forward to our community a means to prevent a child’s

drowning. We have already done our best for our own kids, as they have been trained to swim, now we are focusing on

the children of our friends and neighbors to potentially save their lives. This is why we remain so committed to the

cause. We witness the difference.

I support keeping the pool functional as a learning space.

Respectfully Submitted: Jessica K. Burbrink, CR 27, Goshen, IN

*****************************************************************************************

Dear School Board, I have been teaching Physical Education at Northridge High School for the past 7 years. In that time we have switched from a skills based curriculum to a PE4Life curriculum. We show the kids a wide range of activities that they will be able to participate in for the rest of their lives to help keep them fit and active. The pool here at Northridge fits into the PE4Life philosophy. Swimming is a very low impact activity that can be done into the later stages of one’s life.

In PE class here at Northridge we do a variety of activities in the pool including: fitness, aqua aerobics, lap swimming, advanced stroke development, water polo, team building games, and diving. The closure of the middle school pool would have a serious impact on our current PE programming in two main ways. 1. Closing the middle school pool would mean that Middlebury community school students would only have 5 days of swimming before entering Northridge high school as freshman. This means that unless they sought outside lessons most of these students would not be able to swim or would swim at a lower ability level. We would be spending a lot of our instructional time teaching a “learn to swim” curriculum instead of being able to offer a wider range of activities for the students. Many of our activities are planned with the assumption that students already have a basic to advanced level of swimming experience. I would say over 95% of our students can swim at a level good enough to feel safe jumping off a diving board in the deep end of the pool, or treading water for 5 minutes or more. This allows us to be much more flexible and creative with the types of activities we are able to offer the freshman students.

2. Closing the middle school pool would also mean that the Northridge pool will be getting the programming currently offered at the NMS pool. This includes the 4th grade swim program, middle school functional skills, Heritage reward days and any swimming that the NMS PE programs are able to do. These would need to be balanced not only with the Freshman PE swimming but also the NHS lifeguarding classes, NHS functional skills and NHS Sport and Rec fitness classes. This not only creates a probable reduction in the amount of time we are able to be in the pool but also causes a scheduling problem that might mean one or two sections of Freshman PE would never even have a chance to use the pool! Turning the NMS pool into a warehoused space would seriously limit a top notch academic component of our PE programming. This would hurt students in every building on the main campus. Clint Borntrager Physical Education Department Chair Northridge High School

***************************************************************************************** From: Bridget Griffin

Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 4:41 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject:

I am writing in response to the recent informational meetings held regarding the future of the NMS pool. My name is Bridget Griffin. I am a taxpayer residing at 56025 Dana Dr.. Bristol, IN 46507. I fully suppport updating the middle school pool and keeping it operational. It is a wonderful asset both educationally and as a resource for our community. Thank you. Bridget Griffin 56025 Dana Dr Bristol, IN 46507

***************************************************************************************** From: Carime Patel

Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 6:38 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Comments about the NMS Pool

To Whom it May Concern:

I have had the privilege of teaching at Northridge Middle School, and also coaching the NMS swim team for

the past two years. It has been an excellent opportunity and experience to teach a great group of students and

work alongside a wonderful and supportive staff. My husband and I have been residents of the Middlebury

School district for the past three years. I attended Middlebury schools myself, and was a long-time member of

the NASA swim team and also the NHS swim team. I cannot express enough just how huge of an impact

swimming has had on my life. Being on the swim team is NOT just about swimming - it is about perseverance,

dedication, setting goals, and developing life-long friendships. Many will argue that it is unnecessary for a

school corporation to have two pools - however, I believe (and many others may agree), that having two pools

is one of our corporation's and community's most valuable assets. Having both of the pools allows for so many

valuable opportunities for children and adults, especially in the areas of health and fitness. I have witnessed

firsthand how both children and adults have benefited from the NMS pool - hundreds of children each year are

able to learn water safety, students in P.E. classes are able to learn about the benefits of staying healthy and in-

shape by swimming, both adults and children can benefit from aerobics and other programs, NASA, NHS

Swimming & Diving, and the NMS swim teams are able to train in the facility, a countless number of children

have learned how to swim through the swim lesson programs, and our Special Needs children are able to use

the pool for various therapeutic needs.

I was able to attend the informational meeting conducted by Jane Allen, and it seems that the biggest issue we

are facing is the overall yearly operational costs of the NMS pool. It is my hope that board members and others

can see that the values, benefits, contributions, and opportunities this pool gives to the community far out-

weigh the monetary costs.

Thank you so much,

Cari Patel

Visual Arts Teacher, NMS

NMS Swim Coach

***************************************************************************************** From: Tristan Tahara

Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 7:32 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Save the Pool

Dear School Board,

My name is Tristan Tahara and I graduated in 2004 from the original high school. I swam in that pool for

almost 15 years and I can say without question I would not be where i'm at or the same person I am today if it

wasn't for that pool or the coaches. That pool means the world to me. I gained countless and lifelong friends,

taught life lessons and stayed in good health. When I first started swimming i was probably by today's

standards a bit overweight. I can only assume that's why I tried out for the swim team (NASA). Ill admit I was

a little scared, I didn't know anyone and I couldn't swim at all. It wasn't after too long that I gained some

friends and could swim just fine. Those same friends I made are still my friends today and I know they will

always be there for me no matter what. Being at that pool has taught me discipline, respect , loyalty, hard work

and determination. If I hadn't swam at the pool as long I have who knows where i may be or what I would've

become. I know that it wouldn't be good. That pool is a safe haven for some I can imagine, its a place for kids

to just get away and have fun. Later through the years, it became therapeutic for me. Even today if I'm going

through a tough time or need to get over something, I find the nearest pool and go for a swim. No amount of

money can ever replace the memories and friends I gained from that pool. While I do not live there now I can

still remember what that pool looks like and smells like. I would hate to one day come home and see that place

not there anymore. I hope you guys read everyone of these letters and really think about what negative impact

this will have on alumni but most of the all the community. Ill leave you with this, think about one place that

you went to maybe as a little kid or even now, to either get away from it all or to spend time with family and

friends and then one day its gone forever. Thank you for your time.

Tristan Tahara 2004 Graduate

*****************************************************************************************

From: Michael Fenech Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 1:36 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Fenech Family Opinion on Northridge Middle School Pool

Dear Middlebury School Board Members,

It has come to my attention that there is a discussion going on in the Middlebury community as to whether or

not the middle school pool should remain open, considering the costs it would take to repair and maintain the

pool. Having close ties to and fond memories of the Middlebury swimming community, I feel compelled to

add my name to the list of supporters of keeping the pool open. Although I am away at school, my parents live

in the district and I am writing on behalf of them.

My family moved to Middlebury when I was in 7th grade. The summer prior to the move, I joined NASA. The

friendships I created through this program helped me transition to the new school district and ultimately

became my community throughout middle school and high school, through my senior year when I served as

captain for the swim team. Obviously I was dedicated to the swimming program and I'm sure I join the ranks

of many other swimming alumni who have reached out in speaking to the importance swimming had on our

development and growth. I graduated from Northridge in 2006, I graduated from Northwestern University in

2010, and I am now in my final semester of law school at Michigan State. Even with these accomplishments, I

don't believe anything has shaped or influenced me in the same way that swimming did. Instead, many of the

attributes I gained through swimming have helped me succeed in these other areas of my life because they

were instilled in me at a critical age in my life.

That aside, I suppose my fondness for the swimming program alone will not directly influence your decision of

whether or not to keep the middle school pool open. In addition to swimming competitively in that pool during

my time in school there, I lifeguarded for open swims and water aerobics, taught swim lessons, and helped

coach the middle school swim team. I worry about the impact shutting the middle school pool down would

have on these programs, especially since my understanding is that since the opening of the new pool at the high

school additional community swimming programs and classes have been added to the middle school pool. If

there is any chance that closing down the middle school pool will prevent a child in the Middlebury

community from being introduced or exposed to the swimming program - via NASA, elementary/middle

school swimming classes, swim lessons, open swims, middle school/high school swim teams, or otherwise -

then how can closing the pool down even be open for discussion? If our community is able to keep the pool

open, then I think it is our responsibility to do so.

Thank you,

Michael Fenech

On behalf of Ron and Lisa Fenech

***************************************************************************************** From: Lee Miller

Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 12:13 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: NMS Pool

Middlebury Community School Board,

I attended the meeting in regards to the closing of the middle school pool. As I see it, the pool is being put to

very good use and is a thriving part of our school system. I believe that the pool should remain open. I think

that we should look at all the different options of bringing in monies to keep this very valuable part of the

Middlebury School System in operation. Have we looked into actually charging for all meets and events that

take place at both pools. It is a nice gesture that we have only paid $1 to get into some meets and that $1 goes

to the Middlebury Food Pantry, but we pay anywhere from $3-$10 per session for entrance at other meets we

attend at other pools. Also, I saw no numbers on the amount of money brought in for swim lessons, and the

additional outside activities that are happening. In a business, you would raise rates to cover costs. Also, I have

not seen the rest of the budget for Middlebury schools, but taking a look at programs that are not as beneficial

and putting the money towards the programs that are, like the pool, seems like another possibility. I think we

should look at these options and figure out ways to keep the pool open.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Lee Miller

***************************************************************************************** From: Shayne Cripe

Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 10:24 PM

To: NMS Pool *Answers to questions below will be posted on the FAQ webpage

Subject: Pool Comments

Thank you for allowing me to comment with my thoughts on the Northridge Middle School Pool. Some of my initial questions regarding the slide presentation have been answered by reading others’ letters and the FAQ page set up, which, by the way, is nicely done.

1) A question that I did have is how much revenue is made by the extracurricular uses of the pool i.e. rentals, aerobics classes, etc? Is this revenue, no matter how much received, used then to offset the expenses of the pool? The only revenue that is shown on the slide show is the generous donations made by NASA. Mr. Keller is compiling the rental revenue information and it will be posted as soon as it is completed..

2) Another question I have is does the Middlebury Community School system have a need for a warehouse, and one that size? What will be stored in this space? I guess I have a hard time reasoning through taking an educational facility which is used daily for educational purposes and creating a warehouse of that space.

3) I found it interesting when reviewing the facility trending for 2008-2012 report, that the growth/decline figures reflect the following facts since having two pools available: Curricular Programming has grown 57.6%; Community Recreation has grown 88.2%; Special Events has grown 137.0%; NASA/Swim Lessons has declined 14.3%; High School Athletics has declined 19.3%. The growth has been entirely from Educational Usage and Community Usage.

4) I would like to clarify that the NASA organization does not receive any revenue from the Swim School Program. The monies that are received from the Swim School program flows out of the Swim School program to pay their expenses and no revenue is made.

I am in support of keeping the Northridge Middle School Pool a Middle School Pool. The educational usage of this pool alone convinces me that the Middlebury Community School Board on January 8, 2008 made the right decision to keep the pool open after a motion made by Mr. Weadick and seconded by Mr. Pladson, and agreed upon by Mrs. Merrick and Mrs. King passed in favor of keeping the soon to be Northridge Middle School Pool open. This facility has greater potential to be used for education. This facility has greater potential to create revenue to offset the operational expenses. This facility has greater potential to be used in serving the Middlebury Community and beyond our community “walls”. The Middlebury Community Schools will suffer if the pool is closed.

I thank you again for allowing me to share my comments and questions .

Shayne Cripe

*****************************************************************************************

Fretz Family

53312 Trenton Lane

Bristol, IN 46507

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter in support of investing in a new pool at the Middlebury Middle School. Our family feels that the

financial investment made by replacing it has invaluable benefits both in the short and long term to people of all ages in

the community. Please consider these points to support replacing the pool.

The swim lessons offered at the Middle School teach our children to swim, not only through community classes but also

to the school children. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under age fourteen. I am unaware of

another group offering swim lessons in Middlebury area. Also, supporting ways for as many of our children as possible

to stay physically active year round has immediate and lifetime benefits.

The hours provided for adult water exercise and lap swimming is invaluable. Staying active is important for our health,

in particular to those with limited mobility and strength. I also feel that the availability of a pool for classes and lap

swimming is very attractive to people when looking at local community resources.

The children on the local swim teams have also benefitted greatly from availability of both pools. As we saw this fall

the swim teams practicing at one pool does not allow enough time or space for their practices, as well as diving and

community classes as they currently exist. Another concern is the practice times will run later. The kids need time

after practice to refuel their bodies, and get ready for bed at a reasonable hour. By having two pools the swim team

can serve as many children as possible, the diving team can continue their work, and the community can be served as it

is now through classes, lap swim and open swim all year round.

We see the Middlebury Middle School pool as a community resource, which not only benefits school children, but as an

asset for everyone in the community. Whether the space is a pool or reassigned it will cost more money. Rebuilding

the pool is a wonderful investment in the entire community’s future. All the above programs offered through two

pools are beneficial to the people of the community over their lifetimes.

Sincerely,

Fretz Family

***************************************************************************************** From: Lauren Bailey Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 8:04 AM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: Please keep our pool!

January 31, 2013 Respected Members of the School Board, As the current Northridge Middle School Functional Skills Teacher, I would like to write to you as a former peer helper

and Northridge graduate, a teacher and on behalf of my students who aren't able to speak for themselves. First, in 1999 I was an average student looking for a place to fit in. Closed study hall was not a place to gain any 'great' life experiences and I certainly wasn't likely to spend my time doing homework. Assisting with the special needs students

in the pool became my chance to escape. Little did I know, that this would be my calling in life. While helping these students as their peer, I was able to grow deep respect and knowledge for this population. The new skills that I would

acquire at this time also included: confidence, leadership skills, teaching skills and compassion. The U.S. as a whole is

becoming more aware daily about the danger of bullying. To eliminate bullying we need to educate people and teach them to be compassionate. The peer program that the pool opens up to our Middle School, is a powerful tool that not

everyone may be aware of. In 2008, I returned to my old stomping grounds as the first Northridge Middle School Functional Skills teacher. Opening

a new program, in a new building, with new co-workers, assistants and new students was no easy task. Thank goodness for the pool! My days are not always easy... they may include physical challenges of lifting and changing students who

can't take care of their own personal needs, it often includes a lot of noises and screaming that you wouldn't experience

in a general education classroom, and even the juggling of paraprofessionals and substitutes that can't always read my mind, knowing exactly what to do. Swimming days for us provide a lot of excitement. I know that my students with

Autism will get to relax their overstimulated body and mind in the pool for an hour. I take great comfort that my students with Cerebral Palsy and other physical challenges get to stretch muscles that don't otherwise get stretched in

their binding wheelchairs. I have one particular little guy, who is constantly worried about what happens next in his

schedule because of his brain injury... but for 1 hour in the pool he forgets all about what comes next while he chases his peer helper around the pool with a squirt gun. I've only mentioned the therapeutic aspect of what the pool does for my students. Additionally it is a way of providing safety and inclusion for my students. We've all seen on the news about "Autistic child drowns." Charles Grace is teaching

my students to swim so they don't become victims and I thank him for that! My students swim with their gym classes. This is inclusion at its best. Seven students from the Functional Skills programs that are given 45 minutes with their

peers that the water helps alleviate their physical limitations. I could go on... :) Lastly, on behalf my student who can't speak for themselves - Thank you for the pool. Thank you for 1 hour at a time that I don't have to listen to Mrs. Bailey trying so hard to teach me my life lessons. Thank you for the time to relax and

play. Thank for you the time to hang out with my friends. Thank you for the opportunity to give my body a break, it's working very hard throughout the day, I promise!! I understand that the pool is a privilege not all corporations have. Thank you for allowing us this privilege and continuing

to make Middlebury Schools the best. Thank you for listening to my, rather long, plea to keep the pool as a part of our program and I invite you to stop in and see us in the pool from 12:15-1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday of

next week during our PE class.

Sincerely, Lauren Bailey Northridge Middle School Functional Skills teacher

***************************************************************************************** From: DARYL AND JENNY MILLER Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:46 AM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle School Pool

Dear School Board and Ms. Allen,

Thank you for the opportunity to give input re: the future use of the NMS pool space. I am writing as a parent

of 2 students in the Middlebury school system. One or more of my family members have participated in swim

lessons, NASA, STARS diving, HIS swim instruction, good bystander swim parties, aqua aerobics, adult lap

swimming, and weekend open swim. In my opinion, closing the old pool would be a big mistake!

Looking at the figures related to the 2 options it seems much more logical to maintain and preserve the pool

rather than to turn it into warehouse space. The cost of the upkeep of the pool seems well worth the

tremendous benefits we reap from having the pool available to the community and to the students. Offering

swimming lessons privately as well as during PE classes is valuable beyond any monetary measure in that it

saves children from death by drowning. Also, in a culture where childhood obesity and diabetes are

skyrocketing, making PE fun is another invaluable benefit, which may be lost if the pool is closed. Introducing

children to swimming and diving as forms of recreation as well as possible competitive sports might make a

lifelong difference in their health. My grandmother swam regularly and stayed in good health because of it

until she was 97 years old!

Before the new pool was built, scheduling all of the various activities, programs, and practices was impossible

and the timing was less than ideal. If the Middle School pool were closed, some things would obviously be cut

and lost and others would be rescheduled to unrealistic times. Having the Middle School pool available gives

us twice as many available "splashes" to offer children and adults.

Filling in the pool and turning it into a warehouse is the more expensive option already, but then "repurposing"

the filled in pool space will incur additional costs, which have not even been decided or determined yet. If we

would put a little bit of time and energy into exploring other opportunities to generate revenue, maintaining the

pool will be achievable. Some other comments mentioned opening pool times up to Lagrange County, Goshen

College, or Goshen High School swimmers. These options should be more seriously pursued. Also, has anyone

considered offering rental of the pool for parties or events? This could occur on the weekends during open gym

and swim times or even private rental at additional times. The arthritis program was recently added, which I'm

sure is a wonderful option for those who participate; with the increasingly aging population, more classes of

this nature might be possible in the future, but only if the times are reasonable for the seniors. Working around

all of the team and school conflicts at only one pool will make this kind of expansion of programming

unrealistic.

Again, thanks for inviting public comments. I certainly vote for keeping both pools! I can't think of a better use

of my tax dollars for the education, health, and safety of our children!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Miller

***************************************************************************************** From: Gerald Rasler

Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 5:43 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Close the Pool

Mrs. Jane Allen and MCS School Board,

I have attended the presentation concerning the NMS swimming pool and the consideration being given for updating or closing the pool. I would like to express my thanks for all the work that has been done to gather information from many

sources concerning the operation of the pool both past and projected future. Having read nearly all of the email submissions to date, it seems obvious that the public opinion is varied in what the future plan should be for the NMS

pool site.

I would like to offer my support for closing the NMS pool at this time. I know that the pool parents and friends would like to see the facility continue to operate. If money was not an issue, I would agree to keep the pool open. However

when we opened the wonderful pool facility at the high school, it was discussed at that time to close the NMS pool. Since that time the school corporation has lost income time after time in many different aspects of the

funding. The state has continued to find ways to lower the revenue of the school corporation to the point that at MCS

we have not been able to fund all of our extra-curricular positions including several coaching positions. More importantly, there are many needs for additional teachers that simply cannot be funded. Northridge High School has

added only 1/2 teaching position in many years while the number of students continues to grow. Educational opportunities are being lost in the classrooms of MCS. Having two swimming pools operating at MCS is simply out of

balance with the other programs in the school district. NHS does not have a competition gymnasium because of funding

and due to the patrons of the district saying no to more building expense. The school corporation struggles to maintain the athletic facilities that we have for other sports.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my opinion. Like the others it is one opinion. I am so proud of the swimming program of MCS, but I feel other programs are being limited if we continue to operate two swimming pools. Close the

NMS swimming pool. Gerald D. Rasler Principal Northridge High School

***************************************************************************************** After reading the questions and comments, I wanted to leave a comment for the school board to consider when making

their decision. I was a swim parent for nine years. My daughter started her swim career in NASA when there was only

one pool and ended it with the luxury of two pools. As a new swimmer, she would come home from school, do her

homework, eat and then we would head off to the pool. While this was in reality the end of family dinners in our home,

it was the start of her swim career and the development of lifelong skills that transcended the pool. She had to learn

how to prioritize, a strong work ethic, time management and dedication.

While I agree that people come to this area for our swim program, it is not because of the physical presence of two

pools. It is because of the program itself. This decision is not about ending this program; only closing a pool. Our swim

program has produced numerous top athletes who are able to compete at the collegiate level. However, this caliber of

athlete was developed by the program long before two pools existed. A.J. Miller, Bill Griffin, and Elizabeth Spillman for

example all swam in a program with only one pool and went on to successfully swim in Division I College Swim

Programs.

So I ask the school board to thoughtfully look at the usage of the Middle School pool. Have we maintained two pools

because we NEED two pools or because we WANT two pools? And has this maintenance of two pools been at the

detriment of other programs and facilities such as the baseball and softball fields, the tennis courts or the soccer area,

athletic positions at the middle school, a pep band at the high school or additional teaching positions throughout the

corporation?

This issue really comes down to needs and wants. Does the Middlebury School Corporation ACADEMICALLY NEED two

pools? Or is the existence of two pools a community WANT/LUXURY?

Delores Merrick

***************************************************************************************** MCS School Board

I am in favor of keeping the pool at Northridge Middle School.

1. There will be many more students and adults from the community using the pool than would be using extra

classrooms.

2. I do water aerobics, my son swims laps, and my granddaughters are in the NASA program. They first learned to

swim at an early age in that pool.

3. The NASA program would be affected if the 4th graders and up could not use the pool. Kids learning to swim

early makes them the winning swimmers for NASA.

4. I believe the cost of a pool cover would be well worth it. In giving the expense of four classrooms, I didn’t hear

any mention of the cost for 4 new teachers, which I’m sure would be quite high.

5. The water aerobics class has grown from around twenty to forty+ and is drawing men as well as women. This

size class would not fit in the space allocated I the new pool.

6. When the new pool reaches the age where it will need repairs and is shut down, where will the swimmers go if

the middle school pool is no longer there?

Respectfully,

Kay Nethercutt

***************************************************************************************** From: Cliff & Cheryl

Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 8:49 AM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

To whom this may concern: I am in favor of keeping the Middle school pool open I use the pool in the morning’s regularly for open community swim. I actually run in the pool for exercise rather than swim. After a knee injury 4 years ago I came to realize how therapeutic and low impact it is to exercise in the water. So I along with others I know have benefited greatly by the use of these facilities to regain healing and vitality! I know how FULL the pool gets in the mornings with the community as well as the swim team practicing. I can only imagine and how frustrating it would get if everything got relocated to the High School pool only! I have also participated in the evening water aerobic program but my schedule at the time is more conducive to the morning open swim program. I would love to see water aerobics being offered in the early mornings too on Tuesday and Thursday’s I’m a little hesitant to tell others and invite others to come use the community pool facilities because I know how full it gets and I’m a little jealous of my allotted time of working out! So one of the big factors I see is that with all the many different programs NMS pool facilitates, school programs as well as community programs if the NMS pool would be closed, this will create much tighter schedules for everyone to be able to use only the high school pool facilities. Our community has been blessed to have these facilities!!! And I keep encourage people to actively use them for the betterment of their health and life skills! I think the pool is an invaluable asset to our schools and to our community. I ask that you work on ways to keep it open rather than working on how to close it. Sincerely, Cheryl Miller Certified Massage Therapist

***************************************************************************************** From: John S. Cohoat Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 8:18 AM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: Middle school pool is an asset to community I’ve lived in Middlebury for 11 years and I’m a property owner. I can state that my daughter was very much impacted by the swimming program at Northridge. We have a world class reputation for swimming in our community and we can capitalize on that. From what I’ve seen of the numbers in the paper, it makes sense to keep the pool going for the community and to help keep our wonderful program going. Please find a way to make it work. John Cohoat

*****************************************************************************************

To Mrs. Allen and the Middlebury Community School Board members,

I have composed some follow up comments and new questions after my letter dated 1/20/2013, in which I stated my

support of the NMS Pool.

These observations and questions are grouped into 4 points.

First, in reply to the response for question #14, how many students has our aquatics program brought into the

system. The reply stated 5 students per year for 3 years. This would total 15 students in 3 years, not the seven as

mentioned.

I feel it is important to note this as this represents $25,000 per year of revenue not counted toward the pool

maintenance costs. The reply stated the $5000 per student also pays for additional curricular programming, teachers,

utilities, etc. I do not feel this is an accurate statement. Five additional students will not require additional curricular

programming, teachers, utilities, etc. In fact the $25,000 would nearly all be additional revenue for the school system.

If you insist on saying only a percentage of the $5000 pays toward the NMS pool, then it should also be stated that a

percentage of every student should be applied to every program. In other words, a portion of every student’s $5000

would be applied to curriculum expenses as well as the maintenance of the auditorium, the gymnasium, soccer fields,

football fields, etc. Therefore, every student we can add is additional revenue for all these programs whether the

student uses them or not. So, I would think we would want to continue to keep programs that attract additional

students.

While we are speaking of costs, I have seen comments concerning the pool cover. The $15,000 in savings originally

stated seems to be conservative. Do we have a more accurate estimate of the savings the cover would affect? I

understand the reduced evaporation and chemical loss would mean a very substantial savings.

Another point brought up was the salary of the janitor. While attending the Masters class, I have seen the janitor

tending to various responsibilities outside of the pool. So at most, only a portion of the janitor’s salary should count as

pool maintenance. Do we have a more accurate figure here?

Also omitted in the informational program was the $10,000 contribution from the NASA club.

The revenues of $25,000 (additional students), $10,000 (NASA contribution), and conservatively $15,000 (pool cover

savings) total $50,000. This now reduces the NMS pool maintenance to $50,000. (I understand some of these figures

are rounded and estimates, but should be accurate.)

These revenues more than cover the salary of the NMS Pool Director, Mr. Grace and makes the pool maintenance cost

less than the salary and benefits of a single teacher. (The last point is only for perspective; I am not suggesting firing

anyone.) When put in that perspective, the loss to the community seems very substantial compared to the cost of

maintenance. I believe I have seen a figure of 0.39 cents per month increase for an assessed value of $100,000 for the

bond.

Secondly, it should be noted that the tax increase as a result of a bond will happen whether the pool is closed or

not. The decision then becomes: 1) do we give up on the investment and benefits of having two pools, or 2) do we fill

the pool in and repurpose the building, which will most likely incur far more capital and maintenance costs than just the

maintenance of a pool.

Thirdly, in looking at the MCS Facility Trending chart, I noticed that the groups that have benefited the most since

having two pools are: Community Recreation; Curricular Programming; and Special Events with increases of 88%, 57%

and 137% respectively. This shows the greatest benefactor of two pools is the community itself. This is a great return

on Taxpayer money! In other words, club swimming and high school swimming can exist with one pool (with tough

scheduling), but most of the new growth in community use will be lost if the Middle School Pool were closed. This

would be a great loss to the Taxpayer.

Lastly, in reviewing the School Board’s minutes of January 22, 2013, I noticed the heading “ADVERTISE FOR BIDS AT

NMS FOR CHILLER REPLACEMENT PROJECT.” With my experience in large buildings, I realize this will be a very large

and expensive project. Do we have an idea of the expected cost? I would assume we have a “ballpark” figure. Can the

bond for the NMS pool be included with this bond for a better rate? Or have the cost of these two projects already

been combined in the bond we are speaking of?

Thank you for the opportunity to speak and for your time.

Respectfully,

Bruce Nethercutt

firemedic45@hotmail.com

Jefferson Township

***************************************************************************************** From: Robby Goodman

Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 10:27 AM

To: NMS Pool Subject: My Thoughts

As principal of Northridge Middle School I feel it necessary to share my thoughts on the current pool discussion. There are hundreds of programs and occurrences that have had happened at NMS that I am proud of and thousands of

students and staff that make me even more proud to serve as principal. I say this, because our ability to use a pool

within our own facility helps make us who we are.

There are few middle schools in our area that have the availability to use a pool facility as easily as we do for students’

benefit. The data in the Power Point assembled by Mrs. Allen, Mr. Keller, and Mr. Grace demonstrates the depth to

which our students use and benefit from having this in our school. Unfortunately, if our pool were to close, it is unfeasible for us to bus our students to NHS to use their pool given the time restrictions in our schedule, as well as the

needed use of it by NHS students and staff. If our pool closes, we will lose that portion of our identity. The chances of us ever getting that pool back would be nearly non-existent.

My role as building principal continually evolves. Over the last few years a small but critical aspect of my job has grown

to include facilitating visits and building tours for prospective students (either through open transfer enrollment or relocations to the area). As stated before, I have much to be proud of with our school, students, and staff that I openly

brag about to potential new families. Showcasing our middle school pool is always included in this. Though the majority

our families that take the time to visit with me and tour the building facility do not currently have children involved with swimming, they all comment on how great it is that the pool is in our building and that all students have a chance to use

it in multiple ways. Many of these students do become involved with swimming in some way after joining us at NMS.

As principal of the middle school, I believe strongly in the need to maintain our pool facility. In my opinion, the potential monetary gains of closing our facility do not offset the current benefits to our students and community, let alone the

long term use and rewards.

Robby Goodman, Ph.D.

Principal

Northridge Middle School

***************************************************************************************** From: Long Family

Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 10:30 AM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS pool

Our family has personally benefited from using the middle school pool and continue to use it today. We

support keeping the NMS pool open.

The Long family

Middlebury, IN

***************************************************************************************** From: Mercedes Clifford Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 12:29 PM To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle school pool Mercedes Clifford, previous diver I support the middle school staying open!

***************************************************************************************** From: MATT ARNOLD

Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 1:05 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject:

I support keeping the middle school pool open.

Thanks so much!

Jennifer Arnold

***************************************************************************************** From: Glen E Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 4:39 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: NMS Pool

As a member of the Middlebury community I feel that keeping the pool located at the Middle School open is a

boon to both the school curriculum and the community. It would be a shame to lose an asset such as this to

turn it into a 'pole barn' with nearly the same financial impact after the updates.

Glen Elijah

Father of

Tyler Matthews (Senior)

Logan Elijah (Freshman)

Riley Matthews (5th Grade)

****************************************************************************************

From: petersheimfamily Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 5:47 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: KEEP THE POOL OPEN!

I really dislike writing letters (forgive the grammar errors) Northridge is VERY lucky...we have the benefit of 2 pools. 2 pools to accommodate our outstanding student body. 2 pools to encourage the love for swimming; 2 pools to teach water safety. Our NHS swimmers have proven over and over again, how WONDERFUL the Middlebury Community Schools Aquatics Program is. Attend a High School Swim Meet and See for yourself!! Having 2 pools open allows us to introduce kids to the water EARLY! Which allows them to form the skills necessary to compete in high school swimming (if they choose). During the 1st meeting...there really was no information regarding income...which would include placing a value on the academic usage of the pool. Additionally, do we charge for the Greencroft Aerobics? If not, we should. How about encouraging our PTO's to have pool parties rather than skating parties? Keeping the money in house. The aquatic's fitness programs are one the best kept secrets in Middlebury and why not open these programs up to Bristol and Shipshe residents....ADVERTISE these programs and charge accordingly!!!! Many people WITHOUT kids, do not know of these programs are available! I believe our school board needs to look at alternate options for funding the NMS pool. It would be irresponsible to close this pool before trying any and all options. We have a few Public and Amish schools nearby that DO NOT have access to a pool. Why not offer to lease/rent the space to them? Bottom line: MY family STRONGLY supports the NMS pool remaining open. My kids have enjoyed the use of the NMS pool for over 7 years: Swim Lessons, Club Swimming, NMS Swim Team, Bystander Swimming...my kids have enjoyed them all! Our oldest daughter started with lessons 7 years ago, and is now a very proud NHS swimmer. We have seen life without 2 pools....a swim parents nightmare!

Lori Petersheim

Proud mom of a YES, HIS, and a NHS Student. KEEP THE POOL OPEN!!

**************************************************************************************** From: Skycarp3bb

Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 5:49 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: (no subject)

KEEP THE POOL OPEN! Michail E. Petersheim

**************************************************************************************** From: MaximilianMEP Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 6:06 PM To: NMS Pool Subject: keep the pool open please Max Petersheim

**************************************************************************************** From: David and Janice Kay Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 8:50 AM To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle School Pool

I support keeping the middle school pool open. My son has enjoyed the use of the facility for club diving. Thank you. Jan Kay

**************************************************************************************** From: Elijah, Kacy Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 3:01 PM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

As an 8-year member of the Middlebury community, I have watched this area grow by leaps and bounds and have enjoyed the addition of our new high school as well as the pool with our full support. All three of our children are heavily involved in swimming in almost every way possible, including as NASA and NMS/NHS swimmers, employed as a lifeguard, taking swim lessons, church and other community rentals, open swims, swimming during 4

th/5

th grade, and

working with challenged middle school children as teachers assistants in the Life Skills program. Data shows this pool is much more than just a place for swim teams to practice. It offers something we don’t have access to locally and that’s as a community pool that is extensively used. It’s in our best interest to keep the middle school pool open because of the major benefit to both the school curriculum and the community. It is worth more to us open than as a warehouse and future generations will continue to benefit years from now. Sincerely, Kacy Elijah Mother of Tyler Matthews (Senior) Logan Elijah (Freshman) Riley Matthews (5th Grade)

**************************************************************************************** From: Schlabach, Rebecca

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:08 AM

To: NMS Pool Cc: 'inbridge115@cs.com'

Subject: Middle School Pool

Good morning, My name is Becky Schlabach. I am a lifetime resident of the Middlebury Community Schools system. My brother and I and both our spouses have attended and graduated from Northridge along with our children. We have paid taxes and continue to do so in order to support the wonderful education and programming provided by our school system. I want to voice my support in keeping the NMS pool open and running its programs that benefit our school athletes as well as our community members. Please consider very carefully before shutting it down. Thank you , Rebecca Schlabach (Becky) 58962 SR 15 Goshen, IN 46528

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From: Laurie Brown Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:22 AM To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle school pool My name is Laurie brown would like to see the middle school pool remain open.

**************************************************************************************** From: MARY JO LANTZ Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:26 AM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: Keep the Pool Open!

Our family has lived in the Middlebury school district for ten years. We have five children, and the aquatics

programs have made a huge impact on our lives. Two of our children are on the NHS swim team and have

been a part of the NASA program for many years. If it weren't for this outstanding swim program, neither one

of my kids would be on the high school team. Most of our children learned to swim at the middle school pool

through the swim lessons and have also taken part in swimming during phys. ed. class. As a family, we have

all enjoyed the open swims on the weekend. Our youngest is in kindergarten. When he's a few years older, it

would be unfortunate for him and his classmates if they were unable to be a part of the educational programs

offered through the middle school pool. For many children, going with their class to one of the middle school

pool programs is the only opportunity they get to learn to swim. What a great opportunity it is for our teachers

to be able to introduce the sport of swimming to these kids. By learning to swim at an early age, swimming

could end up being part of a life long exercise program. Please keep the middle school pool open. We feel the

pool's value far out weighs any storage room that would be put in its place.

Doug & Mary Jo Lantz

Jordan Lantz (junior, NHS swim team member)

Emily Lantz (junior)

Allison Lantz (freshman, NHS swim team member)

Adam Lantz (7th grade)

Conner Lantz (kindergarten)

**************************************************************************************** From: Russ Draper Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 10:20 AM To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle School Pool My name is Russ Draper and I am a taxpayer. My address is 57255 Blackhawk Dr Goshen IN. We have been involved with the aquatics program at the schools for over 20 years. We would absolutely like to see the middle school pool left open to serve the various programs and community. Respectfully submitted Russ Draper Sent from my iPhone Russ Draper

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From: bsekhughes Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 11:03 AM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle School pool comments

The Middle School pool provides 900 students and many community members the opportunity to take

advantage of life-saving instruction as well as lifelong athletic and therapeutic activities. In large part, these

opportunities would no longer exist without the Middle School Pool. We know that it will cost $650,000 to

create a brand new pool for our students and community. It will cost $685,000 to take this educational space

and make it a “warehouse”. The taxpayers will pay this initial amount of money no matter which option is

chosen. So the question is…what will we get for our money?

With either option there will be expenses going forward. The School Board has revised the operating expenses

for a new pool to $100,000 per year. This amount covers everything from the Pool Director’s salary and

benefits to the chemicals/electricity/custodial costs for the facility. It is a substantial amount of money, but the

benefits are also substantial. These benefits have been made clear by the letters posted to this site and by Ms.

Allen herself in her presentation. The pool closure will inconvenience NASA swim club swimmers and

hamper a successful swim program that by all accounts brings enormous pride to the school (along with NLC

& Sectional Trophies, and recently an Individual State Champion.) But the people that will be most hurt by

the closure of the pool will be the HIS and NMS students that currently benefit from swim instruction in their

PE classes, the functional skills students, the community that utilizes the pool for exercise/therapy, the lap

swimmers and the Swim School participants. There is clear value in the investment in a new pool.

The option to “warehouse” the space will cost $685,000 upfront and have an annual custodial/utilities cost of

$10,000. That is $90,000 less per year than the curricular/recreational space of a new pool -- but what is the

value of that warehouse space? The school board stated in its FAQ answers that the school does “not need to

build additional classrooms with our current and projected enrollments” and that the $1,855,700 necessary for

classrooms alone (not including increased teacher staffing) would not be “cost effective for our taxpayers at

this time”. Our community would make a significant investment to take away a curricular/recreational space

and replace it with a space that provides no value to our student body or community.

Those familiar with the pool’s operation have made suggestions that would increase the revenue of the pool

space. Taking advantage of these suggestions would further offset the operating costs of the new pool and

expand its usage. I am a taxpayer in this school system and a parent of two children who have benefited from

the Middle School pool since the 4th

grade. If taxpayer dollars need to be spent at this time, I urge the School

Board to spend them to enhance our students’ education and the lives of the people in our community. Please

keep the pool open!

Susan Hughes

**************************************************************************************** From: paschieber Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 2:31 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Pool

My name is Philip Schieber, I live in Jefferson Township and my four children have all been involved in the swimming programs at Middlebury Schools. I feel the school system should do all it can to keep both pools open to help in the development of are present and future students. I would be willing to help in any way I can to help see this happen, even if it meant higher taxes. The benefits of having two pools is alot to ask for in this economy but like I said, I think it is in the best interest of the school and community.

**************************************************************************************** From: benjamin denlinger

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 4:02 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: I support keeping the Middle School Pool open

To whom it may concern,

My name is Ben Denlinger, and my address is 25909 Lake Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514. Yes, I am from Elkhart,

and the benefit of the Middle School pool is part of the diving and swimming program that we drive 40 miles a

day for. We live in the Memorial district, but transferred my daughter Jamie after her 10th grade. We were

going to send her to Concord, but changed our mind because of Coach Bob and the diving facilities Northridge

had to offer. Jamie has graduated, but our other daughter Jenna is there.

A friend of Jamie's, Alex Clark, also from Elkhart, came to Northridge in large part due to the diving program.

The Middle School Pool is a large part of program and removing it would create many logistical training issues

and surely result in a diminished program. I wouldn't transfer Jenna out of Northridge if the pool were closed,

but I do see a potential impact to others that might want to come from outside the school district that would

bring their tax dollars with them.

Please keep the pool.

Best regards,

Ben Denlinger

**************************************************************************************** From: Nancy Ludden Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 5:31 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Pool Closin

Regarding the Middlebury Middle School Pool Closing:

My husband and I have been living in this area for about 13 years. We are 74 and 68, respectfully. We are at

the age in our lives when we are ready to sell our family's home and downside to a retirement type of

home/condo/village. When we look for real estate, we have two things in mind. #1 - does the community

have a pool? #2 - is there a bike path nearby? This is because our joints are weak and wobbly, we need the

low impact exercises that these activities provide.

After being active all of our lives, raising 6 active children, and working and playing hard all of our lives; we

want to settle down in a community where we can exercise our joints and muscles and remain in a firm, safe

condition. Enjoying living and keeping up with our grandchildren is utmost in our minds.

Many older people need a place to exercise and prepare themselves to enjoy their last years. Swimming is top-

notch for this purpose. Please do not close down the pool as Goshen College. Many of my older,

personal friends in the Goshen area are scrambling for any type of pool, in order to continue their personal

exercise needs. And, yes, you guessed it. We are no longer looking for real estate in Goshen since their pool

closing.

Middlebury is a Great Community. Let's keep it that way!

Nancy Ludden

**************************************************************************************** From: Bret Kramer Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 6:58 PM To: NMS Pool Subject: Keep NMS Pool Open!! My name is Bret Kramer and I am have 4 children who are, will be, or have been Northridge School system students. I STRONGLY support keeping the NMS pool open. The benefits of the facility and the students it serves strongly outweighs whatever minor cost saving over time closing the pool might gain. Our children have reaped many rewards from the swimming programs at Northridge and have directly contributed to the successes they have acheived. It would be a very short-sighted decision to close that pool! Regards, Bret Kramer Northridge School System resident

**************************************************************************************** From: Nancy Ludden

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 7:05 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Middlebury Middle School Pool Closing

Dear School Board,

Back in 1970, when my husband graduated from Ball State University with a degree in physical education, he

was solicited to interview with a community educational program in Flint, Michigan that opened up their

schools for community service. The program was primarily sponsored and funded by the Mott

Foundation. When the school buses pulled out of the schools' parking lot, the schools' lights and heat remained

turned on for the community. Children, parents and various other residents of the city and community enrolled

in various programs.

After my husband began teaching in the area, three of our preschool children learned to swim at one of their

heated pools. Our daughter took private violin lessons at a reduced price at one of the grade schools during

evening hours. The band director was even able to rent violins to our daughters at a reduced price. Our family

drove into Flint more than one cold, wintry night to make use of the facilities that this program offered. Our

family, individually, gained a lot from the program. It was a real plus and helped us provide opportunities for

our children that we otherwise could not have afforded.

During the 70's Flint's community educational program brought vibrancy and life to a dragged down and

degraded city. Flint schools at that time had a lot of racial struggles and most of the stable families and

businesses had moved out into surrounding communities. The main bridge downtown was shut down for

repair and their shopping district looked like a ghost town. It was a difficult time for Flint - economically, as

well as socially and emotionally. The community school service that the public schools offered brought

stability and a sense of worth to the Flint residents. It was, and still is, a model to follow.

Middlebury is a thriving community. It is well respected and considered as a top notch place in which to raise

a family. Other surrounding towns have gained a lot of momentum from Middlebury. From your McDonald's

restaurant to the excellent reputation of your swimming program, you have a lot to offer residents of outlying

areas. Many people in LaGrange County are left without many of the programs and opportunities that the

Middlebury community offer. They drive to use your top quality library and post office. They shop at your

stores, eat at your restaurants and play at your golf courses. Outsiders have grown attached and connected with

Middlebury's strength and sharing support. They could also gain tremendous value if you opened up to

them the use of your Middle School Pool. It would be another source and strength and support that you could

afford to give. Not just afford financially, as the non-residents would be more than willing to pay for their use

of your pool, but the type of support that a larger community can give to smaller surrounding communities.

I would say that your giving is worth the risk! What you give to the outlying community will return back to

you with value that cannot be measured with "$". Giving is a principle that never fails. I would challenge you

to give it some thought.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Ludden

**************************************************************************************** From: Jerry Wenger

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 7:43 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: middle school pool

To whom it may concern,

I have been a taxpayer in the Middlebury School system for many years. I currently live at 55591 C.R. 14,

Bristol and have three children who have graduated from Northridge and two step-children who are current

students. All three of my children grew up in the NASA swim program and I, myself, served several years on

the NASA board. Those years of exposure to swimming have shown me the advantages of having adequate

swimming facilities available to the community. Having the middle school pool available to the community is

an asset the dollar value of which may be hard to set. However, considering the fact that we already have the

pool, keeping it in usable condition makes more sense than trying to convert the space to some other use, I am

fully in favor of updating the existing facility and maintaining it as a pool, available to both the community and

NASA. The practicality of converting a space that isn't easily adapted for other usage just isn't there. The cost

of attempting to redesign the space is also prohibitive. Keep the middle school pool in service!

Sincerely,

Jerry Wenger

****************************************************************************************

From: Kathy Grusy Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:08 PM To: NMS Pool Subject: Middle school pool Hello. My name is Kathy Grusy. I live at 14379 County Road 8, Middlebury, IN. Our children attended York then the old junior and high school at MCS. While our chidlren were involved in many sports, the sport of swimming had the most impact on their lives. The coaching and entire program developed our kids into respectful, considerate, responsible adults. Coach Keller and his staff do a fantastic job with the kids they coach and develop. Please look to other less impactful areas to cut costs. Swimming is one of the few awesome programs left at MCS.

**************************************************************************************** From: TONYA RHODES

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:22 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: support

My name is Tonya Rhodes and a taxpayer living at 15231 CR 22 Goshen, IN. I support keeping the middle school pool open.

**************************************************************************************** From: Tonya Rhodes

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:24 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: support

I Kevin Rhodes, a taxpayer, living at 15231 CR 22 Goshen, IN support keeping the middle school pool open.

**************************************************************************************** From: Emma WYnn

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:33 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: Northridge Middle School Pool

Emma Wynn, Jefferson Twp tax payer. I support keeping open the Middle School Pool as it is an important

community resource and closing it would impact the number and variety program offered for children and the

community.

Emma Wynn

**************************************************************************************** From: Stefanie Hickman Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 11:39 AM

To: NMS Pool Subject: pool comments

I intentionally held off my comments in order to refrain from responding emotionally – I hope I can do that since the idea of closing the pool makes absolutely no sense to me and the thought of it happening gets me fired up. While the thought of the pool closing would mean huge inconveniences for those currently using the facilities, I didn’t want to focus on that being the sole reason to keep it open. Two of my kids are NASA swimmers and they would be greatly impacted. The youngest would probably not have the opportunity to continue based on scheduling – she just can’t stay up late enough to make that happen. The other is in middle school and fitting them in at the high school would be a nightmare, as we got a glimpse of earlier in the season…or she wouldn’t be able to participate either if it was a later start time as she’s also very involved in our church and other activities. But I don’t want you to consider the schedule to be the reason you keep the pool open….but rather the kids themselves who are being impacted. NASA may not be thought of as educational program, but my kids have learned respect, organization and how to be a true team player from being a part of it. They’ve been a part of many activities but this one in particular has challenged them to really step up and grow. NASA would be directly affected by the middle school pool closing, and in turn our students would be also. Our high school swim program would continue to be outstanding (I doubt our athletes or coaches would have it any other way), but the program would definitely be smaller and the reputation would take a hit…it would be hard to continually develop outstanding athletes without the ability to get them started younger and the middle school pool allows that to happen. Those going on to receive scholarships for college would potentially be fewer…our program now has the attention of recruiters but I fear that would change if our program wasn’t as competitive.

Another area of concern is how it impacts the community. There is a great need and desire for exercise and the middle school pool as allowed so many programs to develop. Realistically not everything would be able to be scheduled at the high school and many of those current programs would have to be cut. What are you saying to those who we’ve built these programs around – that they’re no longer important? That money is more important than providing opportunities for people to get healthy? My biggest concern is the impact on non-swimmers – just real students. I keep going back to the over 900 students who use the pool...900! And many who otherwise wouldn’t even get into the water. My 4th grader had the opportunity to use the pool recently and he was amazed at how many of his classmates didn’t know how to swim or even feel safe near the water. This is a teaching opportunity that not all school have – and to let it go would be a huge mistake! I could rehash the numbers and try to make it clear that while the presentation was good, it was a bit misleading about how much things would cost…but anyone reading the FAQs can see that for themselves. And I could once again state how it will actually cost more to “warehouse” the pool than keep it open initially, but I know that’s common knowledge at this point. My gut says it comes down to the approximately $100K that would need to be “found” in the budget for annual operational expenses…once again a number that I think we’d find is a bit high if we wanted to really crunch the numbers…and I don’t envy the School Board at all for having the task to do that. Budgeting issues are always hot button topics for all involved – it’s not easy making the tough decisions about what to cut and what to keep. But also having seen some details of the current budget, I think it can be done and I think the support is there to make it happen. Bottom line – we have a HUGE asset with the ability to have two pools…why would we take that away from our students and community!??!? Stefanie Hickman CFO MapleNet Wireless, Inc.

**************************************************************************************** From: Joseph Keller

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 1:43 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

The intention of this letter is to consider ALL the facts associated with the NMS Pool options. Last fall, during the shutdown of the NMS pool for tile repair, I approached school administration and stated, "I think we need to have a

discussion soon regarding the direction we are taking with the NMS pool". Furthermore, during conversation, I also stated, "We need to be responsible in our decisions regarding the NMS pool and if that means we must close the pool

because we cannot afford to put teachers in the classroom then the decision is pretty clear". Now, 3-4 months later, I

think we have had the opportunity to view the facts and a decision is quickly approaching. My request is that each of us give consideration to ALL the facts provided in the NMS Pool presentation, the MCS Facility Trending 2008-2012 report,

and the answers to public questions provided in the FAQ's on the MCS website. Here are a few observations:

1. We have NO choice but to secure a General Obligation Bond and use those monies to renovate the existing NMS Pool

or to convert the space into a "warehouse". 2. The major issue at the center of this discussion becomes the annual operational expense which is presented as

$151,762. 3. As presented in the pie charts, the major use (over 60%) of the NMS pool is curricular in nature and that occurs

throughout the entirety of the year. In addition, as presented, from 2008 to 2012, there has been extensive growth in curricular usage of the NMS Pool as a secondary facility.

4. Also presented in the 2008-2012 report, it is noticed that the other area of growth in programming of the NMS Pool is

in the usage by community.

So, these observations are the "major" considerations that I believe are factual as reported and must be given the

utmost consideration. I believe it is fair that most everyone would find value in how the facility is being used as evident in observation three and four. Therefore, is it also fair to say that observation two is where our community would find

disagreement as to the decision that must be made as presented in observation one? I believe this to be true. If indeed, operational expense is the issue then let's take a closer look at what has been presented.

The $151,762 expenditure was broken down and presented as: -$84,560 for heating, cooling, chemicals and supplies

-$27,549 for custodial and maintenance services -$39,653 for personnel - salary and benefits

Other "Financial" information presented represents the following: -$10,000 annual donation from NASA

-$17,500-$20,000 revenue from rental of facilities -$30,000 minimum (newly presented information) recovery of operational expense by using a pool cover

Financial conclusions:

*These numbers total approximately $60,000 in operational expense recovery and, if subtracted correctly from the

operational expense (heating, cooling, chemicals and supplies) listed above, then a difference of approximately $25,000 would be the remaining expense.

*The $27,549 for custodial and maintenance services as presented above may be viewed as an expenditure to the pool. However, in reality, if the NMS Pool is closed this expenditure will not be removed from the corporation

expenditures - the custodian will not lose their job only be reassigned. Therefore, I feel compelled to not count this as a

savings. *The $39,653 for the NMS Aquatics Director position is certainly an expenditure but I contend that this is an amazing

value for an educator! If it is decided to close the NMS pool then this expenditure would either be reflected as eliminating an educator or as being absorbed by another educator. However, another educator would absorb these

monies and much of the remaining $25,000 listed in conclusion one due to salary and benefits! *These "figures" do not also take into account additional revenue opportunities! One such opportunity is attracting new

students due to aquatic programming. The fact is that each student is revenue.

Considering ALL the facts AND my statements last fall regarding concerns about not being able to fund the placement

of additional teachers in classrooms then the information presented actually affirms the continuation of the NMS Pool as a valuable educational resource. I cannot, educationally or fiscally, support the closing (warehousing) of the NMS Pool

at this time. The fact is that it could be viewed as irresponsible to do so considering no additional educators could be

placed in the classroom! Instead, I would encourage challenging those involved with the aquatic program to find ways to not only recover operational expenses but to continue growing an aquatic program that becomes profitable to

MCS. It is responsible and possible - a venture that makes business sense! Especially considering the potential for gains/return on the investment. It has routinely been stated in the past that MCS should strive to be "World Class" in its

programming and associated opportunities. Personally, after investing half of my life (literally 22 years) to MCS and its

aquatic program I am 100% committed to that vision for the educational benefit of our community.

Sincerely, Joe Keller

NHS Aquatics Director

****************************************************************************************

From: Susan Donahoe

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 3:06 PM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: Northridge Middle School Pool Comments

When contemplating the future of the Northridge Middle School Pool, there are several factors that must be taken into

consideration. Obviously the risk versus reward ratio is one that is paramount on the minds of those who must make the final

decision as to the future of the pool. As stewards of the taxpayers’ money, those directly involved feel the obligation to be fiscally

responsible. We believe closing the Northridge Middle School Pool and utilizing the space for alternative uses is neither the most

efficient use of our money as taxpayers, nor is it in the best interest of the curriculum for our students.

Perhaps considering the following will be beneficial to those who are still wavering on whether the Northridge Middle School Pool is

an asset that should be cultivated or merely a liability that should cease to exist:

1. Retention or detention ponds are required by governments in new developments to prevent flooding from stormwater

runoff - a generation ago this was not the case. The curriculum that is implemented at the intermediate school level has

the potential to decrease the risk involved with these ponds by instilling safety awareness in the students. 2. Our present facilities have the potential to serve vastly different populations. Competitive swim team training and

adult aerobic lap swims optimally occur at temperatures below 82 degrees F; whereas “Learn to Swim” programming,

vertical water exercise, water walking, 10 and under swim training, and recreational swim are best served by water

temperatures between 86-88 degrees F. 3. Therapeutically, swimming is unparalleled in: cardiovascular conditioning, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, core

body strengthening, flexibility, and cross-training. Swimming provides a low impact alternative to high impact

training. The hydrostatic pressure decreases swelling and improves joint position during exercise. The buoyancy and

resistance of water creates a unique environment in which exercise can occur. Exercise in water is proven to be easier

and less painful for those individuals recovering from chronic conditions, back pain, muscle spasms, arthritis, and

fibromyalgia. 4. Several highly respected institutions (Cornell, Columbia, and MIT to name a few) require students to pass a swimming

skills test prior to graduation – these institutions undoubtedly view swimming as a life skill. 5. Grants are available based on merit and impact, especially when utilizing existing facilities and fostering curriculum for

younger children. Interestingly enough, there has been no mention as to investigating the availability of grants to

facilitate the cognitive and language development as an adjunct to our present curriculum. 6. Curriculum will be negatively impacted if the Northridge Middle School Pool ceases to exist: Safety, liability, and

logistics of transporting Heritage Intermediate School students to Northridge High School for swimming will be

extremely cumbersome and will potentially take additional time away from core curriculum. Scheduling will not allow

Northridge Middle School Physical Education students to continue with an important life skill in their curriculum. The

Northridge Middle School Swim Team would not have a facility to use without transportation being provided to

Northridge High School by some means, thereby increasing liability for and decreasing the safety of those students. In addition to the aforementioned benefits that have the potential to be realized with retaining the Northridge Middle School Pool,

there are a myriad of intangibles that can only be described as awe inspiring by those of us that have had the privilege of seeing the

effects of swimming as parents, volunteers, educators, business owners, and therapists. We resoundingly believe that the Northridge

Middle School Pool should be upgraded accordingly and remain as an asset to our Middlebury Community Schools. Jim and Susan Donahoe 60232-9 State Road 15 North Goshen, IN 46528 (574) 533-2597

****************************************************************************************

From: Tamara Griffin

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 3:19 PM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: Support for NMS Pool to remain open

To Whom it May Concern: After reviewing the documents and seeing the high percentage of educational use the pool gets, I support keeping the Northridge Middle School pool open. I believe it is an important component to both our schools and our community. Thanks for letting the taxpayers weigh in! Sincerely, Tamara Griffin 521 Redbud Lane Middlebury, IN 46540

****************************************************************************************

From: kramgriffin@cs.com [kramgriffin@cs.com]

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 5:03 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: Keep the pool open

To the school board and administration of Middlebury Community Schools, Thank you for taking the input of the public on this important issue for our community. I fully support updating the NMS pool as required and continuing to operate it for our students and community. It seems like it serves the broadest range of our community members compared to any other facility we have; from infant swim lessons to water aerobics and arthritis therapy classes that fit the needs of the senior population as well as others. The availability of the aquatic programs are very important to this area. Thank you for your time and keep the pool open!! Mark H. Griffin 56025 Dana Dr. Bristol, IN 46507

****************************************************************************************

From: Gary Cripe [gcripe101@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 7:06 PM

To: NMS Pool Subject: In favor of keeping the Northridge Middle School swimming pool open

Mrs. Allen and Middlebury Community School board members,

Thank you for allowing me to respond regarding the Northridge Middle School swimming pool. Thank you for your time and research in this matter. I’m in favor of keeping the Northridge Middle School swimming pool open. It stands to reason that the Middle School swimming pool was designed for the specific purpose of a swimming pool. As your presentation showed the Middle School swimming pool is being used and is still very much needed by the Middlebury Community school system and the Middlebury Community. The educational use of the Middle School swimming pool for the elementary schools and middle school students is significant. As your data would show, to change the functional use of a special use building, there would be a significant cost to redesign and change for a different use. In other words there would be a greater cost in closing the pool and then changing the use of the Middle School swimming pool area to a different use; this does not make sense in a cost analysis stand point. It seems to have been overlooked, that in the future if this area is to be changed to a different use, there would be a greater cost to convert the area than to build a new use area (i.e. classrooms or other use).

In light of the overall estimated Middlebury Community School budget of $40,000,000 (forty million dollars) a $90,000+/- swimming pool expenditure is only .0022% (less than .01%) of the overall budget (very small in light of the overall budget) but is significant to our elementary and middle school students (if there is not a pool). It is my understanding that the cost savings (very small in light of the overall budget) if the swimming pool were closed, would go to other building expenditures (i.e. roofs, HVAC or other building maintenance) and not for the hiring of teachers of other athletic purposes as these are funds designated for building maintenance. Is this correct?

I noticed that there appeared to be only one bid for the repairs of the Middle School swimming pool. Were there multiple quotes for the repairs and if so, what were the others quotes and did the other companies know they were bidding against each other for the work to make the repairs? I would suggest doing this if it has not already been completed.

May I also note that in the recent past that the south wall of the Middle School Auditorium was repaired/reconstructed. The Middlebury Community School Corporation has two Auditoriums. Why now has

the Middle School swimming pool become an issue? Why wasn’t the Middle School Auditorium closed? After all we have two Auditoriums. The answer is the same for the Middle School swimming pool… because it is being used and is needed. Both are maintenance issues (repair of a wall; repair of equipment). I personally would say that the Middle School swimming pool, being used every day, is more used than the Middle School Auditorium being used occasionally. But the Middle School Auditorium was repaired and therefore, the Middle School swimming pool should be too. Please address how these issues are different (both are maintenance related)?

Ultimately, it appears that the benefits of having the existing Middle School swimming pool for educational and extracurricular purposes along with the benefit to the Middlebury Community out-weighs the closing of the Middle School swimming pool. Please keep the Middle School swimming pool open for our children and our community. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Gary Cripe

628 Bristol Avenue

Middlebury, IN 46540

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From: Judy Stoller

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 7:28 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Pool

As a Middlebury resident for 15 years, I am in support of keeping the Northridge Middle School Pool open.

Both of my boys have greatly benefited from the opportunities they have had through the NASA club & High

School Swim Team. My oldest son was able to receive financial help at college. Closing the pool will greatly

diminish the outreach our program presently has in the community.

I am concerned from reading other comments on this site that there are big discrepancies regarding the

financial burden that the pool actually is to the Middlebury School's system. In addition, it seems to me that

there could be many ways that funding sources could be developed if there is interest in keeping the pool open.

I am not convinced that the problem with keeping the pool open is just about the financial burden that has been

conveyed to us.

I would like our board to answer many of the questions presented on this site to help us understand more

clearly what the real financial issues are.

Thank you for giving the community an opportunity to share concerns and thoughts regarding this very

important decision.

Judy Stoller

53377 Forest lakes Drive

Middlebury, IN 46540

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From: David E Ingling Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 7:34 PM

To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS pool

I support keeping the pool open for the following reasons: cost to close is more than to keep it open, the added

wear and increased maintenance to the NHS has not been factored in, the increased usage would cripple

current swimming programs of the HS, MS, and NASA, and lastly, this pool and resource could only be

replaced at enormous expense at a later date.

Thank you for your consideration,

David E Ingling

57350 CR 19

Goshen IN 46528

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From: Micki Koch

Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 9:40 PM To: NMS Pool

Subject: NMS Swimming Pool Issue

Dear Northridge School Board,

We are writing this letter as parents of three children who have benefited from the Northridge Middle School pool. We strongly encourage the board to find a way to keep to pool open.

As a community, we are so fortunate to have a superior aquatics program. The programs that are offered have done so much to keep our children safe, encourage healthy lifestyles, promote camaraderie and provide an outlet for fun. We do not understand how turning the pool into warehouse space will benefit the community or school in any way.

In addition, the NASA program is one of the most competitive swim programs in the state of Indiana. It is because of this program that our coaches are continually producing top-notch swimmers who are competing on a national level and receiving college scholarships for the skills that they once learned in the middle school pool. Taking away the middle school pool is going to restrict time and space to allow these swimmers to continue to flourish. Let’s continue the tradition of Northridge being a great swim school for teaching both beginners and advanced swimmers!

Sincerely,

Tim & Micki Koch

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Updated Comments: 2/15/2013

Dear Members of the Community, School Board, School Administration, and Friends of the Pool,

I join this discussion concerning the Northridge Middle School pool out of a necessity that a voice be

heard from someone who has directly benefited from the aquatic programs of Middlebury Community

Schools (MCS). I have been a participant in both the community swim team NASA, and the Northridge

H.S. swim team. I graduated from NHS in 2002.

Much of the print media relating the current conversation concerning the Northridge Middle School

pool (NMSP) has been based on the estimated up front and estimated continual costs of operation for

both Options 1 and 2 in resolving the current pool dilemma. What has been lacking visibility, at least in

the print media, is a consideration of the return on investment of those costs. One can imagine this was

the reason from which the pool was initially built. The consideration of any cost must justly consider the

return. For a school corporation, there can be both dollar values and only slightly harder to determine,

non-monetary returns that contribute to the overall diversity of the community, and availability of a

unique asset to all members of the community.

Any cost that is imposed upon the community must have an observable return. Academic programs

have a direct cost that can quickly be calculated, and, the value of a students' life-long educational

return can also be accurately calculated. There is a great deal of evidence that individuals with high

school degrees and other advanced education (i.e. have become life-long learners) have seen much

lower unemployment rates throughout the recent economic recession, and over a lifetime earn more in

wages and salary than citizens that do not continually pursue education. This is a return on academic

education, which MCS has been a leader in ensuring students are given a strong foundation upon which

they are then able to compete academically, and therefore reap the rewards of initial community

investment. The academic education MCS provides is a tangible asset, and the broader community

outside MCS sees this, as demonstrated by the desirability of being part of the MCS system. This shows

empirically that the academic investment of MCS is valuable, and it is the entire learning atmosphere

that contributes to this desirability. All these are quantifiable indicators of the return on investment of

initial academic cost.

The same consideration must be made when discussing Northridge Middle School pool. NMSP

contributes to the availability of aquatic programing for the entire spectrum of the community.

Community members at every stage of life: toddlers, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and adults of literally

every age are able to utilize the NMSP. This creates a lifelong use of the NMSP as a community asset,

and the asset must be valued accurately. Please, bring these considerations into the discussion.

I can personally attest to the return on investment I have realized through my participation in the

aquatic programs of MCS. This is my personal story, but I believe the relevance can be shown through

many other people, many times over. The aquatics program taught me about hard work, goal setting,

team work, and accomplishing my goals. The abilities I learned laid the foundation from which I was

able to obtain a Full4-yr ROTC Scholarship to Purdue University five months prior to graduating from

NHS in 2002. The skills I learned through swimming are what directly enabled me to receive a

commission as a Naval Officer and successfully compete for, and be selected into an extremely

demanding and selective U.S. Navy discipline. As a result of my affiliation and unique experiences in the

U.S. Navy, I was then competitive enough to be selected for inclusion at Notre Dame in a top graduate

school program. That initial doorway to participation was possible because of access to the pool and the

'learn to swim' safety aspect of being able to swim, which became the basis for my swimming career,

and the foundation for the skills that have enabled achievement of so many of my personal goals. To

put this in dollar value terms I realized a return on investment of approximately $60,000 for my Purdue

education and with the Post 9-11 GI Bill nearly $33,000 in additional return. These numbers are publicly

available because each of these scholarship opportunities are programs funded by the Federal

Government. What this means is that through my approximate 12 year involvement in MCS aquatics

programs, and as a result of community investment, I was able to be competitively awarded over

$93,000 that has funded my life-long academic education. This is not a unique story, and countless

hours could be spent re-telling the same story from different perspectives, and slightly different

numbers.

Using the data from print media, the yearly cost to maintain the NMSP is estimated to be $151,762­

$15,000 (for an efficiency cover) - $10,000 (approximate contribution of community swim team) =$126,762 per year. I will note that the current estimates place re-furbishing the pool as less costly than

filling it in for other purposes. On total the pool experienced 59,054 'splashes' over the last three years,

an average of 19,684 'splashes' per year. If we calculate how much each splash, on average, is

estimated to cost we see that each splash could come at a cost of $6.44. If I estimate the number of

times I had a 'splash' at the pool I find approximately 2932 'splashes.' If I consider scholarship money

received divided by number of splashes ($93,000/2932 splashes =$31.72 per splash) and the estimated

cost of continuing NMSP operations, we see a 492% return on investment ($31.72/$6.44). Basically,

every time I jumped into the pool, I was going to be awarded $31 later in life. I believe this clearly

demonstrates the returned value to community members that has been realized, and continues to be

realized. More examples of different situations, such as health benefits, sporting injury recovery

benefits and so on can also be considered.

(Personal Splash Estimate: 5 days swimming/week x40 wks/year x5 years =: 1000 splashes, plus the last 7years ofmy career at 6

days/week x 46 wks/yr x 7 years =: 1932 splashes, total of 2932 approximate splashes. I have seen scholarships for $93,000, divide by

splashes =: $31. 72 per splash. With these approximate values, I personally realized a return ofover $31 for every single time I made asplash. The average cost per splash, as availablefrom the public data is $6.44 per splash ($126,762/19,684 splashes). That is a 492%

return on community investment. My estimates do nat consider inflation, net present value, or many other considerations due to thenumbers provided in print media also not being presented with the same considerations.}

If the NMSP is removed, access will be reduced, and the possibility of more community members not

having access to the same unique opportunity the aquatic programs provide will result. Again, the

entire spectrum of the community would be negatively impacted by the loss of the NMSP. I further

believe that removing NMSP would be in direct violation of the very statement available on the

Middlebury Community School Corporation website. As read from the MCS webpage, Mrs. Jane Allen,

Superintendent, states, "The Mission of Middlebury Community Schools is to prepare our students to be

life-long learners and contributing citizens," and further that "Middlebury Community Schools offers all

of our students a wonderful educational experience delivered by the efforts of excellent staff in an

exciting and vibrant learning atmosphere. We are a strong and supportive learning community driven by

the desire to provide our children with the best possible education."

I believe that the aquatic programs are an enabler of life-long learning and life-long achievement. The

aquatic programs directly benefited me, and I know they continue to benefit so many others, in so many

ways.

My goal has been to provide an additional perspective to this discussion. The complete discussion is not

simple, and even in this verbose dialogue I am unable to capture all the values and challenges the

aquatics program encompasses. I in fact do not believe the financial considerations are the best way to

measure the value MCS realizes in the strength of the currently available aquatic programs. However,

many community members are driven by dollar cost and therefore it is necessary to also show dollar

returns. The evidence speaks for itself. Please give due diligence to the complete returns the currently

available aquatic programs provide, and my hope is those programs will continue and even grow as we

move into the future.

Very Respectfully,

~~Braden R. Weldy, NHS Alum 2002