Do you know your neighbors?
A group of Dixon residents wants to bring back Memorial Pool. This week, it met to discuss the effort.
The renovation's pricetag would be $1.5 million to $3 million.
At that cost, one person told me, the community could get an above-ground pool for every house in Dixon.
It's true.
The lowest-priced pool from Walmart is $300, including tax. With $1.5 million, the community could get 5,000 above-ground pools, more than enough for every family who wants one.
But this pool-per-family idea misses the point. A public pool is a gathering spot, where people actually see other people.
We don't do that as much as we used to. Houses used to be built with front porches – when there was no TV or air conditioning.
Now, we stay inside our castles most of the time. Do you know all of your neighbors? I sure don't.
Growing up in Rockford, my friends and I used to walk to Alpine Pool, about 10 blocks away. I had a great time there, always wearing goggles. The only bad experience was when some kid threw a good-sized rock at me.
On the hottest days, we waited awhile to get in because the pool was at capacity.
Sure, a pool at home would have been nice. But getting out and seeing different people makes life a lot more interesting.
Sauk Valley Media reporter David Giuliani covers the Whiteside and Lee county governments, Morrison and other smaller communities. He can be reached at dgiuliani@saukvalley or at 800-798-4085, ext. 525.
