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White City retiree leads charge, saves pool By KELLY STEWART Joy Reich remembers what the White City YMCA Cascade Pool building looked like one year ago -- strips of paint hanging from the ceiling, rust coating the once-white metal beams, and murky water in the pool. Today, the White City retiree can look around the building with pride. The walls and ceilings are painted, the pool water is clear, and several families are splashing away. Reich spearheaded a nonprofit group that took over management of the pool in December 1998. The Rogue Valley Family YMCA, which operated the pool since 1981, shut it down in October 1998 amid concerns about costly repairs that were needed. At the time, YMCA executive director Mike Cronin said the repair costs were too high, especially for the financially struggling YMCA. The deed to the pool was returned to the Eagle Point School District. The district leased the pool to the YMCA from 1981 to 1991, deeding it over the the YMCA in 1991 on the condition that it be returned if the YMCA no longer operated it. The district could not financially support the pool, Reich said, so the nonprofit group stepped in. Reich used the pool five times a week and thought it was too important to close. She and about 80 others formed the Cascade Community Pool Corp. and approached local businesses for donations of time, goods or funds. "We started out with hardly anything -- just on a shoestring," Reich said. Radio station KZZE raised more than $2,000, and other businesses including Foodland, Rogue Family Center, Rodda Paints and Biomass One chipped in. The nonprofit group fixed the broken pool water filters, sandblasted rusty posts and repainted walls and ceilings. That cost the group about $1,500, paid for by donations. Now the pool is thriving. With more than 200 members, Cascade Community Pool Corp. earned $10,000 in July. Expenses were about $7,000, Reich said. But pool maintenance work isn't complete. By the end of September, Reich would like to hire workers to repaint rusty beams high above the pool. She estimates the work and materials will cost $30,000. Next year, she'd like to paint the inside of the pool. That may cost as much as $24,000. "It did need a lot of work, and it still needs a lot of work," Reich said. "But it's serving a lot of people." The pool is open 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. A lifeguard is on duty. Monthly membership is available for singles, couples, family and youths. Pool use costs more for nonmembers. Swim lessons, fitness classes, lap swims and open swims are offered. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA