Dear Editor;
I have been a resident of Princeton for the last 18 years and have seen change in this town. Over that time frame, I have held different forms of employment; of late I had the privilege of working in the community directly with the residents in regard to Community Literacy and Youth Capacity. Literacy is what happens from birth to death and in every aspect of life; youth initiatives create a sense of belonging and ownership in their town, two very large and important segments to the health and future of Princeton.
During those years, I talked one on one with people and also facilitated public meetings around literacy and youth initiatives. One of the topics that was continuously brought up was having an indoor pool. All walks of life would benefit from having local access to the water year round. Physical health, mental health, physiotherapy...are examples of benefits to name a few. These all lead back to improving the level of literacy; there is a direct link from health to literacy.
I would also like to state that when we are out promoting our town to outside business such as the mine and doctor recruitment having an amenity such as a pool would draw greater interest that could possibly close the deal for potential families considering moving to Princeton.
Yes, this will be challenging, but as I have lived here, I have witnessed Princeton pull together and accomplish some amazing things:
Keeping our local hospital open,
extending the water system,
renovation of the library and museum,
the development of Veterans Square and
welcoming the re-opening of the Copper Mountain Mine.
I believe that having a local indoor pool would be a benefit to our community, in order to grow and become stronger—you must first be able to bend.
Thank you
Shauna Hassell
SH CONSULTING