Baldacci lends help to pool fund-raiser

BANGOR – Gov. John E. Baldacci grew up eating Italian dishes at his family’s local restaurant, Momma Baldacci’s, so when he was invited to attend a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser, his response was a no-brainer.

And when he showed up Thursday at the Abraham Lincoln School cafeteria, the governor took a familiar place behind the counter.

“Where I come from, we serve everyone else first,” Baldacci said.

The fund-raiser was the latest effort by the Friends of Dakin Pool, a nonprofit group that is trying to raise $2,300 so that neighborhood children who use the pool off Stillwater Avenue don’t have to pay a fee.

“We didn’t expect this many people. This is great,” said Friends Chairman Mike Robinson as the dinner wound down.

The Dakin Pool has been the subject of debate since it was saved from closure earlier this year. At a meeting in April, the Bangor City Council voted to establish user fees for Dakin Pool, but last month, City Manager Edward Barrett said that as long as the city receives a donation of $2,300 by the time the pool opens, it will drop the fees.

Bill Sullivan, another Friends member, said that more than enough money was raised to write the city a check. Jonathan “Gabby” Price, Husson College athletic director and football coach, who didn’t attend, donated $500.

“This subject has been talked about for a long time, but as individuals, people feel like they can’t do much,” Sullivan said. “But as a group … .”

He let his words trail off.

The governor later told the group of more than 100 that the fund-raiser was a great way to show that “your voices are being heard at City Hall.”

The $2,300 will be used to pay the salary of a pool attendant for the summer. The city wants to count patrons to see whether it will keep the pool open past this summer. City Councilors Geoffrey Gratwick and Anne Allen, along with Barrett, showed up in support.

While Thursday’s event was a success, the Friends group may need to raise more money in the future.

An estimated $300,000 is needed to replace the bathhouse, which is why the city considered closing the pool in the first place. Added to which, last summer, the Beth Pancoe Municipal Aquatic Center opened off Union Street, causing attendance at Dakin Pool to decline.

Still, the Friends members call the pool a neighborhood treasure, and they don’t plan to stop raising money.

“This kind of turnout shows me that the city’s east side needs a pool,” Robinson said. “Bangor has enough heart to support two pools.”

Baldacci agreed and said he knows plenty about Dakin Pool. He and his seven siblings nearly kept the facility in business many years ago.

“We grew up there. I remember walking down from Palm Street,” he reminisced. “I have good memories at that pool.”