Dakin Pool cooperation, not confrontation

A group of Bangor residents has formed a nonprofit corporation known as the Friends of Dakin Pool. We welcome others concerned about the survival and improvement of this important recreational resource to join with us, for the reasons outlined below.

Our immediate objective is to raise $2,300 to be given to the city of Bangor so that it will not be necessary to establish access fees for the pool this year. We are not opposed to appropriate pool fees in the future, but the abrupt imposition of a high fee schedule by vote of the City Council in March is bound to discourage use of the pool this summer. The council set fees for the east side Dakin Pool at the same level as fees at the larger and much better equipped Pancoe Pool on the west side, a pool that already is used to capacity.

These fees at the formerly free Dakin Pool would pay the cost of an attendant who will count the pool traffic. We agree with having an accurate count, but believe it is perverse to impose a high fee schedule at the same time we are trying to determine the extent to which the public is using the pool. Lifeguard and maintenance costs for the pool are already in the Parks Department budget – the new access fees are intended simply to cover the cost of someone to count the pool users.

We will raise the $2,300 through individual contributions and the proceeds of a spaghetti supper to be held next month.

Beyond providing immediate relief for the families using Dakin Pool this summer, our group will work to raise public awareness of the availability of the pool, work with the city to improve signage and seek out grants which – together with city funding – will permit the replacement of the old bathhouse and add other amenities to the pool.

Ultimately, it is up to the public to decide whether Dakin will survive. We are confident that the city will respond to what they believe public sentiment to be. Friends of Dakin Pool will provide a mechanism for focusing into a useful and visible channel whatever public support there is for preserving the pool. If Dakin is allowed to close, Bangor will have lost one of the small neighborhood resources that make the city what it is. We don’t want to see that happen by accident, or neglect. We believe we should buy a little more time and, in a spirit of cooperation rather than confrontation, examine with the city every alternative before closing a pool that has provided summer enjoyment for generations.

Donations to the Friends of Dakin Pool may be sent to P.O. Box 2657, Bangor 04402. Our Web site address is www.bairnet.org/dakin.

This commentary was written by Bangor residents Joseph M. Baldacci, Michael J. Robinson and William J. Sullivan.