College pours cash into pool

On Wednesday afternoon, the City of Oberlin held an unveiling for one of two signs marking the site of Oberlin's new recreation center. Recently purchased by the City Council, the 77-acre site at the end of South Professor Street will be transformed into a $4 million exercise-activity complex.

Oberlin College has helped make possible the construction of the recreation center by contributing $500,000 to the municipal project. The center will be open year-round and will feature an indoor swimming pool, fountains, waterslides, baseball, softball and soccer fields and volley ball. It will be built on Hamilton Road, at Rt. 58, on property belonging to the City of Oberlin. The center will be part of a larger recreation complex.

Speaking to a crowd of about 50, City Manager Robert DiSpirito expressed the visionary intent of the project as a way of bringing together area youth while providing up-to-date recreational services. In DiSpirito's words, "there will be nothing like it in the city."

The Recreation Complex may also house an indoor-outdoor swimming facility. Working with Lorain County Community College's Joint Center for Policy Research, City Council members conducted a survey of Lorain County to determine how residents outside Oberlin felt about the water park. Discovering that over 50 percent of county residents would be willing to drive to Oberlin to enjoy the pools, Lorain County MetroParks voted last Thursday to absorb the $400,000 annual operating cost of the facility. Although the center will be open to everyone, Oberlin residents will be eligible for 50 percent discounts on daily fees.

The greater portion of the construction cost will be provided by campaigning efforts as well as Nord Fundraising and Oberlin College, which have promised $2 million and $500,000, respectively. The remaining funding depends on a five-year 0.2 percent wage tax which hopes to raise $1.4 million for the project.

The city offered to help foot the bill by adding a 0.2 percent income tax levy, which would raise $1.4 million over the next five years. The College rounded out the $4.5 million with its $500,000 gift. In announcing the College's participation in the enterprise, President Nancy Dye did indicate that the one stipulation of the College's bequest is that the pool be built in Oberlin.

DiSpirito calls the Recreation Complex and its successful fundraising "a dream come true for a small town." Emphasizing its usefulness to mentor programs, DiSpirito would like to see Oberlin students involved in the fundraising process by supporting the wage tax. As the Oct. 4 deadline for voter registration approaches, the levy campaign is working to arouse student support for the project. Next week, campaign Co-chairs Sigrid Boe and Ron Rimbert will be distributing a fact sheet to Oberlin students.

Both Nord and the College have asked that residents of Oberlin be given a discounted admission rate and that it be easily accessible. Before giving Oberlin the pool, the MetroParks board wanted to be certain that there would be sufficient interest in such a facility. The city commissioned a survey of residents of Lorain County, and found overwhelming support for an aquatic center. Ninety percent of surveyed residents said they like the idea, and that they would either buy a yearlong membership or pay for each individual use of the complex.

The City of Oberlin has been without a year-round pool since the College closed Crane Pool six years ago. Since then, MetroParks has wanted to build an intergenerational recreation center, which children, adults and senior citizens can enjoy.

The College has long contributed to local endeavors. Recently, the College bought a $250,000 fire truck for the city, and continues to fund a third of the city's fire trucks. The College has also helped fund the Oberlin Public Library's relocation, as well as the Joint Energy Symposium and the Main Street Ohio Annual Conference.