Support Our Swimmers – S.O.S. !

Hey Aquatic lovers! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 50-meter pool somewhere within a 30 mile radius of where we live!?

Well, Steve Bradshaw has been busy with this newer group, S.O.S. -Support Our Swimmers for the past two years and they’ve got a fundraiser happening in early October to show this movie at the Flat Rock cinema.

SOS brings together Henderson County residents, organizations, and local leaders.

We want to plan, fund, and build a year-round community aquatics center. SOS’s goal is to promote health, safety, recreation, and a lifelong enjoyment of the water.

To purchase a movie ticket, click on this sentence for the Flat Rock cinema portal!

To read more fully about supporting the Support Our Swimmer’s organization click here.

To make an actual donation to the SOS organization click here, please

Here is the outline for SOS’s plan:

Questions:

1. Where will the replacement for Patton Park be? A. Patton Park if the city gets a significant amount of FEMA money.  The design is for a 50m pool with provisions for an enclosure.
2. How will it be funded? A. Public City, FEMA, Henderson County, & Grants. B. Private donors – the new pool near Gastonia has been funded nearly all by private donors.
3. When will this all happen? A. If FEMA comes through then that will be the fastest possibility.  In this case, our strategy may be to quickly raise money for the additional to make it a better facility.  Cover, deck space, spectator seating, timing system, adjacent 25y program pool. B. If FEMA does not come through, then it’ll likely be 5-10 years.

Meanwhile, the City Of Asheville is hoping for a similar infusion of FEMA funds in order to redo the Azalea Park recreation area, where the RecPark pool and the soccer fields have been, and that will include building a brand new bridge over the Swannanoa that was destroyed during Helene. there does not seem to be an actual timeline with any of the COA’s efforts.