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Community urges Forest Hills board to secure replacement before filling Anderson High School pool
Summary
Residents and alumni urged the Forest Hills Schools board during public comment to delay any irreversible work to fill the Anderson High School pool until a clear replacement plan, funding commitments and timeline are in place; commenters stressed the pool’s educational and safety roles and cited a cited replacement cost figure.
Public commenters told the Forest Hills Schools board they feared the district is moving toward permanently filling in the Anderson High School pool without having a concrete plan to replace the community asset.
Tara Lautinger, an alumna and parent, told the board she opposes filling the pool before a replacement plan — including commitments, funding and timelines — is finalized. "Once the Anderson High School pool is filled in, that decision cannot be undone," Lautinger said, urging the board to ensure "a clear and viable replacement plan is in place before any reversible decisions." She said school pools are "classrooms without desks" that teach discipline, safety and lifelong wellness and provide special-education and Red Cross training opportunities.
Bruce Barlow, an Anderson Township taxpayer who addressed the board during the same public-comment period, reiterated concerns about losing the facility and said the project to remove or fill the pool was presented as a financial decision that equates to "$2,313,313.10" as quoted in his remarks. Barlow said the pool had been used for instruction, special education and job training and warned that eliminating the facility would remove those uses from the community.
Speakers said they understood district leaders, township and parks staff were discussing potential community aquatic-center options, but warned that relying on future, uncommitted replacement plans risks permanently losing local access to aquatic programs if proposals are delayed or fall through. One commenter said that if replacement plans are delayed or do not materialize, "our community will permanently lose a valuable resource."
The transcript contains no record of the board taking a formal vote on the pool during the segments provided. Public-comment appeals to preserve aquatic access concluded with requests that the board secure funding and a concrete plan before any irreversible action.
Ending: The record includes public appeals and cost-related claims but does not show a board decision on the pool in the provided segments. The board did not record a vote on the pool fill in the transcript excerpts supplied.
