A Bloomington resident urged the Board of Park Commissioners on Tuesday to restore pool fee waivers for low‑income adults after the board revised the program earlier this year to limit eligibility to households with minor children.

Deborah Meyerson told commissioners her adult son, who relies on Supplemental Security Income and SNAP, uses the Bryant Park Pool and that the February revision removed eligibility for adults without minor children. She said records provided to her show that, from 2021 to 2024, the income‑based waiver served about 335 households with minor children and about 52 households without children (an average of roughly 13 non‑child households per year).

"This change to the pool fee waiver excludes low income residents without minor children," Meyerson said, asking the board to reconsider the policy for 2026 so that public pools remain affordable and accessible to all low‑income residents.

Parks Director Tim Street acknowledged the public comment and provided operational context. Street told the board that the youth‑focused waiver program for this year has closed with more than 500 applications and that staff will debrief the season and the policy change to inform future action. He also reported staff have a draft pool conditions report that has identified several million dollars in maintenance needs at the citypools; those findings will be included in the departmentmaster plan work.

No board action was taken on the policy during the meeting; the item was raised during the public comment period and staff said they will review the season's results and return at a later meeting with policy recommendations.

Meyerson requested that the board consider the equity impacts of the change and described how adults on fixed low incomes rely on public pools for exercise and summer heat relief. Commissioners thanked Meyerson for the comment and said they would expect staff to brief the board during upcoming master plan or budget discussions.