This past weekend my wife and I were shocked to discover how expensive visiting the Waterville public pool has become. We were enjoying a visit from our son and his wife and our two young granddaughters. The girls wanted to go to the pool on the hot summer day we were having. So we packed up all the things needed for this adventure and went to the pool only to be surprised that entry would cost us $56!

My wife and I are resident seniors and assumed the charges would be much lower; we were wrong. We noticed that the pool was not as busy as it has been in past years and assumed that was due to the high cost of an entry ticket.

This pool must be one of the best in all of Maine and clearly some funds must be raised to maintain it, but we wonder how many of our less fortunate families can’t afford to send their kids to the pool because of the extreme cost. I’ve been told there is a process to secure free passage for those who can’t afford to pay but it involves a somewhat invasive filing of personal information. There are also seasonal passes available, but the costs of those easily out pace many family incomes.

We find it sad that a city like Waterville is turning a public pool into a money making business which by its very nature keeps children out during the hottest time of the year. We can do this better.

Daniel Henyan

Waterville