The petition
We, the residents of Steiner Ranch, support the proposed Steiner-based year round swim club using the Bella Mar lap pool. The initial proposal for this club recently received a “no” vote from the SRMA Board of Directors after almost a year of good faith negotiations. We request that the board reconsider this proposal for approval. We will demonstrate with this petition that there is overwhelming community support for this proposed club.
This non-profit club will pay for the heating equipment ($40,000+ value) and to heat the pool (approximately $5000 per month) from September through April. The pool will be tarped to retain heat during the cooler months, typically October through March. The pool will be un-tarped during swim club practice hours Monday-Friday from 4-7 PM. Two lap lanes will be reserved for Steiner resident usage during swim club practice hours, which will be of benefit to fitness and masters swimmers and tri-athletes. The nearby recreational pool will be open under normal neighborhood guidelines. If desired, the homeowners associations could choose to fund heating costs for additional resident access to the lap pool.
This club will be coached by Kay Gerken, a four-year swimming and academic All-American at Rice University and an Olympic Trials qualifier in 1980. She has been a swim coach for 29 years, working with all kinds of swimmers, from novice to Olympian. Kay spent eight years as an assistant coach for the North Carolina State University men’s and women’s teams (Division I). Age group swimming has been her concentration for the past seven years, coaching kids in both North Carolina and here in Austin with Texas Gold, Cedar Park Swim Club and the Steiner Stars summer team.
Having this club in the community would provide a positive after-school activity for our neighborhood children and will especially benefit those residents who currently travel to swim clubs in other parts of the city. Many Steiner swimmers will eventually swim at the high school level with the new high school which is slated to open in two years. This swim club will work cooperatively with the home owner's association for requested pool usage outside of swim club practice hours.
Steiner residents will have preference for registration with this club. It’s a win for everybody—the Steiner Ranch residents, the youth of Steiner Ranch and the new swim club!
Finally, after re-evaluation, should the proposal for the Steiner swim club be denied, the supporters of this petition request full disclosure of the reason(s) for denial by February 7, 2008.
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