Madison took the initial dive into financing the city’s first municipal swimming pool. After five decades of debate, the first step toward a brand new swimming pool is set in stone.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz kicked citywide fundraising efforts into full gear today in a press conference announcing his pool fundraising committee and recent donations.
Local philanthropists Irwin and Robert Goodman pledged an additional $500,000 to the pool financing after promising $2 million last June for construction of the city’s first pool.
“Robert and Irwin Goodman are generously donating an additional half-million dollars, added on to the original gift of $2 million, to make this pool a reality,” Cieslewicz said at the conference. “In appreciation for this gift and their many years of community service, I would like to propose renaming Franklin Field, where the pool will be built, after the Goodmans.”
The city-designed Franklin Field location will be renamed Goodman Park in honor of the Goodman brothers’ donation as well as their community efforts in Madison throughout their lives.
“Franklin Field is best site for [University of Wisconsin] students, bar none, it’s absolutely the best site,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4 said.
The Goodmans’ donation is contingent on groundbreaking by July 2005. All fundraising efforts must be completed by Feb. 15 for the groundbreaking to begin in July.
“This is fantastic news, it’s all going well. The site is picked, the architect is hired and is working on design details,” Melanie Conklin, spokesperson for the mayor, said. “There is neighborhood participation and we’re nearly three-quarters of the way to meet our fundraising goal.”
Water Technologies, Inc., has been named the architect team employed to design the pool, according to Conklin. With the Goodman gift, private donations and city funding already reach $2.6 million ready to build the pool.
Conklin stressed the larger 1,000-person pool complete with sand volleyball courts, water slides, bleachers, a playground and other amenities will require a total of $4 million.
“We still need to raise an addition 1.4 million, but it’s so close,” Conklin said.
Cieslewicz also announced a $100,000 private donation from the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times, as well as an additional $100,000 from American Family Insurance.
“These latest gifts are further proof of the incredible generosity of the community,” Cieslewicz said in a release. “Together we will overcome decades of inaction and we will get this pool built.”
“The mayor said today we are going to get a pool and we finally can say that,” Conklin said. “He’s thrilled with this process because it has gone so smoothly when every time before this it has been a bumpy road.”
The mayor also announced the new co-chairs to the pool fundraising committee. The list of esteemed Madisonians includes Overture President George Austin and former County Executive Rick Phelps.
Members serving on the committee also include Linda Baldwin from Isthmus Publishing, Gary Wolter from Madison Gas & Electric, James Hopson from Madison Newspapers, Nino Amato as the Swimming Pool Committee chair and Frank Byrne from St. Mary’s Hospital.
“We’re well on our way to raising the necessary funds, and there is widespread support to getting this pool built, finally,” Verveer said.
