Buckman Community Association

BUCKMAN POOL UPDATE

June 13th, 2005

Thank you all for your support in saving the Buckman Pool. Because of your voices, City Council decided to keep the Operations Funds for Buckman Pool in the budget for the next fiscal year.

Commissioner Randy Leonard is committed to keeping Buckman Pool operational until a Southeast Community Center is built. He has assigned a staff member, David Shaff, to be the liaison between the city and PPS and the citizens. David has been providing updates on the investigation of the pool’s leaks. If you would like to be on his email list, please send him an email at dshaff@ci.portland.or.us.

Investigations have shown that the primary leaks are occurring in the pool’s gutters. A structural engineer’s report has concluded that there is no significant structural damage to the pool shell or to the building’s foundations. This past week tile was removed in 6 areas to further determine the type and extent of the cracking. We still do not know the magnitude of the repair costs.

In the meantime, we need to continue to encourage the City to find funds for the repair of the pool and funding for its operation until we have a new community center. To keep the operating fund in the budget without finding funds for repair is an empty gesture. The Park Levy funds were used to fund a 2.8 million dollar upgrade and renovation in SW Portland. Inner SE Portland deserves no less.

We also need to promote ways in which the City can maximize its use of Buckman Pool. New signage, clear indication of the entrance with a mural or tile surround, hours that are more family-friendly (e.g weekends), new uses by community businesses such as scuba diving or kayaking classes, and more focused use by Buckman Elementary, which will be losing it’s PE program next year.

Finally, we need to make clear that the character of Buckman Pool reflects a neighborhood-oriented, local attitude, which is missing in the larger, super-size community centers.

We encourage you to stay active in the effort to keep Buckman Pool alive. You can stay in contact via David Shaff. Or join the listserve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buckmanpool or you can check www.bacumanu.org/savethepool for updates. We also encourage you to show your thanks to City Council for listening to our concerns and acting on them. We have made it easy for you to do so at www.buckanu.org/savethepool.

Once again, thank you for your involvement.

Christine Yun
The Buckman Pool Heroes