Important Announcement from our MVM Board President

Hello fellow swimmers!

I’m Marni Weinstock, and I’ve been asked to serve as president. First, I’d like to start my term by wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! May 2024 be filled with good times and good swims.

Next, I want to thank outgoing president Ryder Booth. And thank you to the outgoing board members who served us the last several years: Martha Branch, Justine Wong, Connie Tong and Stephanie Norman. Under their leadership, we’ve seen the team grow to over 200 members! We are so popular we’ve had to cap membership.

According to our bylaws, we will be asking the team to vote and approve the board slate and annual finances within the coming weeks. Thank you in advance to our proposed board: Lizy Mostowski, Richard Hogg, Evan Collins and Rachel Chandler.

As we move into a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to address where we will swim. The topic has been on many swimmers’ minds.

We will remain at Eagle. There is no great way to share this news… it does not appear that we have the options we once assumed. The city has decided it will expand its lap swim hours to better serve the public. When Rengstorff opens (estimated next month), open lap swim hours will begin at 7:00 AM. They will also increase lap swim in the evenings with hours as early as 5:00 PM.

What does this mean for us? The city strongly urges us to stay at Eagle where rental hours are plentiful and MVM would not need to change the current practice schedule. While Rengstorff is not entirely off the table… given how limited practice times would be, a switch would not be ideal. There is a second key point to make. An MVM switch to Rengstorff would require Eagle to become a SEASONAL vs YEAR-ROUNDpool. MVM’S rental income at Eagle allows the city to operate 2 pools year-round rather than one, and this is a HUGE benefit should one of the pools need to close. This point cannot be emphasized enough; it benefits us all to keep 2 pools open year-round, and the city cannot financially do that if MVM moves to Rengstorff.

Not all gloom and doom. This news may be hard to hear given current maintenance issues at Eagle. However, please consider the following positives:
– Scheduling. Not only will there be no limits to the current swim practice schedule, we have opportunities to expand practice times should we wish.
– Dues. Staying at Eagle will not impact or increase the team’s current expenses.
– Layout and Design. Rengstorff has less parking, smaller locker rooms and water temperature may not be to our liking as the city learns to adjust to a new heating system.
– Location. We are not just a swim club but a social club as well. Eagle is much closer to downtown amenities.
– Plans are underway for Eagle’s renovation in 2025-2026 or sooner. New plans have been expanded to include a new deck, total pool replastering, new deck lights, removal and readjustment of diving boards, new lighting within the pool, new lanelines and a new bulkhead. While this project is underway, MVM will be swimming at Rengstorff. When we return, it is my hope that Eagle will feel brand new.

Future Opportunities at Rengstorff. Still, many MVMers are eager to swim at the new pool. The city has suggested a few ways we can use Rengstorff in the short term. It is available to rent for meets, holidays or special swim events/practices (which the board is happy to plan!). Further, once Rengstorff opens, it will become our back-up pool when Eagle requires maintenance.

To wrap up, I look forward to serving as your president in 2024. Regardless of where we swim, it is the swimmers themselves who make our team great. Thank you for being a part of it.

Marni

Upcoming Board Meeting: The board will hold their monthly meeting Tues Jan 9 at 6:30 PM. Team members are always welcome to listen in. Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82696210989?pwd=UG5WKzdKd1YwZmVCcDVsTy90RjhmUT09