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One lifeguard costs less than two
To the Editor:
If Willard Pool and/or West Campus Pool closes this winter, why not arrange with Berkeley Unified School District to invite displaced swimmers to both south and north pools at Berkeley High School as appropriate? If BHS again decides to use its north pool (due to the closing of Willard) then the public still should be able to use north during hours when the kids aren’t there.
Berkeley swim programs at BHS for the public employ two lifeguards while one guard at the other pools seems to be sufficient. These two should be enough to survey both north and south pools at BHS if they’re open during the same hours. (There is a connecting door that is usually open.) This means the extra cost to the city for running two pools rather than one would be much less trifling and certainly less than operating three pools, and should be a bargain for everyone.
Terry Cochrell
Berkeley
