After reading The Alpena News about the possibility of building a new pool at the APlex is very exciting and long overdue.This is much needed for the community who enjoy swimming and using a pool for a workout.Also the possibility of bringing swimming as a varsity sport back to the high school is very encouraging.

I agree with the editorial that a concrete plan needs to be in place before moving forward.When I first came to Alpena in 1999, I was astonished that the high school didn’t have a weight room for the PE classes or athletic teams. The coaches and Booster Club got together and raised $40,000 for a temporary weight room between the locker room below the gym. It was outfitted with new flooring, a mirror, etc. The problem is the ceiling is too low and it is not big enough. It used to be a rifle range and archery for the gym classes and it is almost 25 years old.

The perfect solution is for the county to give back the Plaza Pool to the school and allow the school to fill in the pool and put a really nice weight room in for the PE classes and athletic teams which is much needed. Many high schools have already done that with their old pools instead of tearing down the existing building which is very expensive.

I know this community is very generous and given the OK to put in a new state-of-the-art weight room to replace the Plaza Pool. The booster clubs, businesses and even the rec millage would help fund this much needed project.

JACK GEBAUER,

Ossineke