STATEMENT FROM COUNCILMEMBER JAMIE GAUTHIER REGARDING THE SCHOOL BOARD’S DECISION TO NOT APPROVE THE RESTORATION OF ITS INDOOR POOL AT SAYRE RECREATION CENTER
PHILADELPHIA — Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) today issued the following statement on the School Board’s decision to not approve the restoration of its indoor pool at Sayre Recreation Center:
“I am deeply disappointed in the School Board’s decision not to approve the restoration of its indoor pool at the Sayre Recreation Center. The decision is not only an abdication of the district’s responsibility to a community it serves and an insult to 5 years of activism by devout members of the Cobbs Creek community, it also suggests that the Board does not have a complete understanding of the critical nature of an asset like this in a Black neighborhood both besieged by gun violence and lacking in safe recreational spaces.
“The Sayre pool is a world-class, Olympic-size pool owned by the School District of Philadelphia that has been a jewel in the crown of the Cobbs Creek community for over half a century. Generations of children, some of whom have gone on to become champion athletes, learned to swim here. It served as a training facility for lifeguards for Parks and Rec pools around the City for decades. It was a beloved community asset, especially during the summer, as a safe space where kids and families could have fun and unwind. After years of neglect, the pool was closed in 2017 due to structural damage — and has been closed ever since.
“Having this important community asset taken away — having it sitting there continuing to deteriorate — isn’t just about swimming. It’s about denying kids and families access to a heavily-used resource at a time when we can hardly afford to do so. Furthermore, it’s hampering the entire city’s ability to operate pools — because with limited places to train lifeguards, then we can’t keep Parks and Rec pools staffed and open, as we saw last summer.
“Our community members understand the life-saving potential of recreational facilities. A well-attended rally about the Sayre pool organized by community members late last year included a casket, as a symbol of the dangers posed to Black youth in particular, when there is a dearth of positive activities for them. No one from the School District attended this rally. But after hearing the Board’s deliberations last night, I wish that they had. Out of touch musings about how nice it would be to have pools all over our city, or that questioned a pool as a priority show that there is a wide gulf between the Board’s thought process and the reality of what a functioning indoor pool would mean to these people, in this neighborhood, at this moment.
“I remain undeterred in my commitment to the Cobbs Creek community, and my district at large in fighting for safe spaces for our children to recreate and thrive. I hope to have the partnership of the School District of Philadelphia towards that end, as well as a joint realization that our children’s health, welfare, and overall benefit must be viewed not just in terms of what is offered in the classroom, but also in terms of the opportunity that exists all around them, in the communities in which they live.”
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