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Community-submitted news By Suzanne Leslie
August 3, 2023 - Swim Winchester, a nonprofit group aiming to build an aquatic facility on Skillings Field, is hosting a Community Swim Celebration at D.C.R. Hall Memorial Pool in Stoneham, this Sunday, August 6 from 9-11 a.m. Senator Jason Lewis is scheduled to provide welcoming remarks at 9:30 a.m. and Swim Winchester Board members will be available to talk about the project. (Pictured above are from last year’s event are Winchester High School Swim Team members-Felix, Anne Xing, Phoenix Chamberlin, Melia Altaras, Jasmine Ding and Arthur Li.)
Winchester High School swim team members will be on hand to teach stroke technique, and lanes will be open for anyone wanting to swim some laps. In addition, there will be a water aerobics class and the splash pad will be open. Attendees can enter a giveaway for prizes including tickets to see “Frozen The Musical.” Andersen Realty is sponsoring the event which is open to all in the community.
Our vision is to build a community aquatic facility that gives everyone in Winchester a place to swim and be together,” Swim Winchester President Caroline Shamu, said. “It will be a resource for recreation, training, water safety and aquatic fitness classes, wellness, rehabilitation/special needs, and public events.”
The grassroots organization has a plan, a design and cost estimates, and is gearing up for a capital fundraising campaign this fall. A 2014 Feasibility Study by Counsilman-Hunsaker, a leading aquatics consulting firm, showed that Winchester has a high demand for a town pool and can support a self-sustaining non-profit facility, The design plans, produced by Fennick McCredie Architecture, include a lap pool as well as a warmer recreation pool.
The pool party falls in the final stretch of the group’s annual swimathon, which has currently raised about $5,000 from over 40 supporters. They hope to beat last year’s total of over $10,000 from more than 100 supporters and encourage anyone interested in building a community pool to sign up on their website then swim wherever they choose: pool, pond, lake, or ocean.
Suzanne Leslie is the volunteers coordinator for Swim Winchester.
