Loss of Sharks swim team a heartbreak

In the recent City of Everett budget cuts, a program very dear to my heart was cut, the Everett Sharks swim team.

The Everett Sharks have 82 paying members, not 55 as quoted by a parks representative to a Herald reporter in the April 7 newspaper. The Everett Sharks generate money for the City of Everett. If the parks representatives don’t know how many Sharks there are, it is probably safe to say that they don’t know how much money the Sharks are generating for the city.

Each swim level is charged a different amount. If you take the number of Sharks in each level and multiply that by the fees, then subtract for lane rental and coach salaries, you get an excess of $1,072 monthly and $12,864 yearly. There is no other way the swim center can generate this kind of monthly profit. Why bump your bread and butter – or are they charging off other things to the swim team in the parks’ books?

The City of Everett has chosen to make the interest off the $24 million in surplus instead of keeping a program that makes them money, builds self esteem, teaches life-long fitness and keeps kids off the streets. In the process they have broken over 82 swimming hearts. The city should learn what all Sharks know: You are only as strong as your team.

Everett

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