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Residents tell Yuma council reopening Kennedy Pool would boost water safety
Summary
At a Yuma City Council meeting, residents urged the council to reopen Kennedy Pool, arguing that local access to swimming instruction saves lives. Speakers included a resident who used a pointed analogy and Kristen Doste, a former swim coach who emphasized drowning-prevention benefits.
Residents at a Yuma City Council meeting urged elected officials to prioritize reopening Kennedy Pool, saying public access to swimming instruction is a lifesaving public-safety measure.
At the public-comment portion of the meeting, a resident used an extended analogy to press the point: “I want a steak. It’s on the menu. It’s my money. Give me the steak,” the resident said, arguing that local spending should reflect clearly stated community preferences—specifically, saving Kennedy Pool rather than investing in large new facilities.
Kristen Doste, who identified herself as a parent, a swimmer, a former coach, a former water-safety instructor and a former pool manager, told the council that reopening Kennedy Pool would expand water-safety training. “By opening Kennedy Pool and providing the community more accessibility to swimming programs, you are saving lives,” Doste said, emphasizing that drowning can occur in backyards, rivers and small pools as well as public facilities.
Nut graf: The comments came during a meeting in which the council also handled routine business, including an ordinance adoption and a bid award; residents used the public-comment period to press the council on recreation and youth-safety priorities. No formal action to reopen Kennedy Pool was recorded in the meeting minutes or motions that were taken that night.
Speakers repeatedly stressed water-safety education and the lack of public pools in the region. Doste noted that swimming instruction combines skill-building with “a life saving tool,” and highlighted that even in a desert city like Yuma, many drowning risks exist because of backyard pools and other water sources.
The meeting record does not show the council taking a specific vote to fund or reopen Kennedy Pool during this session. The council heard the comments and continued with other agenda items; any next steps or staff follow-up specific to Kennedy Pool were not specified in the record of this meeting.
Ending: The council heard several speakers urging action on Kennedy Pool but did not adopt a related motion during the session; residents and speakers requested that the council consider the pool’s reopening and the public-safety benefits of local swim programs going forward.
