Idea Portal Submissions

Membership

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Hi -
I bet there are a lot of members like me. The kids are grown and gone so it’s just me and my husband. He has an old injury that prevents him from swimming. I love the pool but if no one wants to go with me I often skip it. I bet I’ve only been about 10 times per summer for the past 5 or so years. One year during the pandemic I went more often because one kid wanted to go with me. But the point is that it would be amazing if there were different membership options for people like me - longtime member and low frequency user. What about a much reduced fee but limit number of visits or hours? I don’t want to be at the pool during the most popular times!
Sadly I think my membership is on the family budget chopping block even though I hate to let it go. But it doesn’t make sense to spend so much for so little use, and it also doesn’t seem equitable for me to pay the same as a family of 4 or 5 who use the pool so much more. Thanks for considering. I hope this generates some discussion. My fear is that I’ll give up my membership and then soon after the board will create an option that would have persuaded me to stay.
Thanks -
Cynthia Core

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Cynthia Core

August 21, 2023

support for front desk staff

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Hello - I want to make some suggestions for the front desk:
(1) Have a printout of the pool calendar for that week available at the front desk so front-desk staff can answer questions about pool hours that week, especially if there are exceptions or last minute changes (such as the pool closing early for a meet, or a reschedule of a special event).
(2) Have FAQs available at the front desk to aid the teen staff in answering questions (such as where the lawn games are kept, what the age range for is kids' night, what the kids' night activities are, where movie nights are going to be held, etc). Also, for rookie employees, a how-to list for essential front desk functions like how to manage cash vs. credit card payments for guests. Perhaps long-time returning front desk employees could be assigned to take a first crack at these info sheets based on their experiences!
(3) Post a phone number for the office/life guard table at the front desk so front-desk employees have a way to reach other employees if they need assistance.
Thank you.

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Jenny Rizzo

August 1, 2023

Professional duct and fan cleaning

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Hello!

Women’s bathroom has black mold growing in it. Can you please hire professional cleaners to clean the ducts, fans, walls and showers. This would make a much safer environment for everyone. Thank you

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Melissa Martin

July 29, 2023

Professional duct and fan cleaning

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Hello!

Women’s bathroom has black mold growing in it. Can you please hire professional cleaners to clean the ducts, fans, walls and showers. This would make a much safer environment for everyone. Thank you

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Melissa Martin

July 29, 2023

making hours known

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Can you PLEASE come up with a way to make the pool hours known?
On Saturday, I arrived at 3:50 with about 30 other members. The website said the pool closed at 4:30. I checked Twitter-- there were no Tweets. But a sign was up saying the pool was closing at 4:00.
I called the pool today at 1:30. The person who answered said it closes at 9:00. Again, nothing on Twitter. Yet the calendar says it closes at 4:00. Who is right-- the calendar or the front desk?
We've been keeping track this summer and you're closed 50% of the time that we try to go and the information was not readily available.

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Katherine Froeb

July 17, 2023

Tennis

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It would be great to have tennis courts in either adjacent lot space or the front lawn for adults as well as a youth tennis team.

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Craig Wentzell

July 7, 2023

Tennis/pickleball

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Not sure I understand the need for an additional pool in the front yard—why not a tennis/pickleball facility instead?

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Jason Knott

July 7, 2023

Good Trucks & Float Night

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Hi! My two ideas are:

Food Truck Fridays; we can have food trucks come on Fridays and members can come and order their dinner and spend the evening at the pool.

Float evening; where swimmers can use floats in the pool for two hours.

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Alison Fesler

July 3, 2023

Aqua joggers

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Hello! Is it possible to have a couple of aqua jogging belts (I’m on the small size but maybe good to get different sizes) on hand for public use at DHARA like they do at the public high school pools? I have my own but it is a pain to bring to the pool because it is bulky. Aqua jogging offers the benefits of running without the impact! Also perfect a lot of folks who are nursing injuries. Thank you for considering my idea 🙂

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Audrey Ting

June 26, 2023

update calendar when events change

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Hello - It would be helpful if the DH Calendar on the website could be updated when events are changed (such as the Kids' Night that was supposed to be on Wednesday being postponed until today (Sunday), meaning that tonight the pool was closed to non-kids earlier than the 8 pm close time that is on the calendar). That way, if members miss the announcement or don't remember it, they can always check the DH Calendar for up-to-date hours for a given day.

Thank you! The new umbrellas and the painted wall in the parking lot look fabulous, BTW.
Regards,
Jenny Rizzo

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Jenny Rizzo

June 25, 2023

Lap Lanes

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The lap lanes are well used at the pool, but I would like to suggest that when the pool gets very crowded on some Saturdays and Sundays this summer, they take down one lap lane to increase the area available for recreational swimming. It sometimes gets very crowded and during these times I think it makes sense to have lap swimmers share lanes. Thank you for the consideration.
Tyler Smith

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Tyler Smith

June 5, 2023

Lap lane white board sugn up

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My idea is to have a whiteboard on the fence by the lap lanes. If you come and the lanes are full, you could sign up. You could then leave the area. Maybe each person could put the time they started using the lane so the people waiting would know approximately how long it might be. There could be a 5 minute grace period once someone got out. The person waiting would be responsible to keep an eye on the lanes.

Thanks for considering this.

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Gaill Ammons

June 4, 2023

Tournaments

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Hi,
I’ve been playing pickleball at Arlington Forest and wondered if DH would consider creating a makeshift pickleball court (or two). Just thinking there might be days/times when the side lot isn’t busy and it could be blocked for play. Also thinking periodic tournaments (pickleball, cornhole, badminton, etc.) could be fun for members.
Thanks for considering!

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Andrea Brunk

June 4, 2023

expand hours the last week of school

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Since elementary schools have a half day on June 14 and June 16 (and HS ends on the 14th) can we expand pool hours to start earlier on those days? It would be great for families (and teenagers who need to work!) thanks for considering.

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Karin Kirchoff

May 23, 2023

Community garden

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Is there a space to designate for a community garden? Seems like there are a lot of possible spaces and also an area that is already an unused garden.

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Jeff Goehring

May 13, 2023

Music

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Please don’t always blast music. Dave it for special occasions. Thx

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Robert Moss

May 12, 2023

Hot Tub (s)

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The baby pool is so out of the way that those with young kids have to stay isolated and far from other kids that may not want to be in the big pool or tank. I rarely see people using that area. If we put in a hot tub, the isolated location is perfect!! It would be uniquely different from the other Arlington pools. Its a great place for adults to socialize, extend the season, and help with muscle pain relief. If that is not possible, how about pickle ball, bocce or shuffle board (maybe not in the same location as the baby pool/hot tub). Stay tuned for more great ideas.

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Stephanie Minkoff

March 1, 2023

membership dues?

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Get rid of paying on line! where and what amount are the 2023 dues and where do i sumbit on linew?????????????????????????????VERY FRUSTRATED?????

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douglas ammons

February 8, 2023

Swimathon

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I think it would be fun to do some sort of pool-wide competitive/charitable event(s). I know SHBR does some sort of swim-a-thon and I think it would be great if we could come up with our own version of this. Two ways that come to mind:

1) An on-going pool-wide swim competition. All members can compete to see who can swim the most laps at DH during a certain time frame (e.g. the entire month of July). We could allow people to join the competition as individuals, pairs, and/or families and they could track their swimming (maybe using an online log using the honor system). They could pay a fee to participate and then a portion could go to prizes (gift cards, cash, a trophy, whatever) and a portion could go to a local charity. Coaches could hang a sign at swim practice so the kids on the team would know how much they swim each day to add to their family's account. I really like this idea best because its inclusive of everyone. We could have a variety of awards (ex. age group, families, couples, etc.). Perhaps a weekly leaderboard could be displayed at the pool or on Facebook to keep motivation high!

2) A one-time swim meet where everyone can participate (kids, parents, coaches). There could be real events, relays, and silly events. We could allow the membership to come up with suggested events. Everyone could pay to participate and the money raised could go to a local charity.

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Andrea Brunk

February 1, 2023

Pickleball court

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There seems to be enough land, either out front or below, to put in a pickleball court or two. It's a fun and social game. Our pool is secluded enough from neighbors who may complain and I'm sure it would be well-utilized. There are often long waits for any of the existing public courts in Arlington so it would be great to have an option.

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Steve Guffey

November 18, 2022

September hours

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Background: I remember as a parent of young kids I did not understand why the pool opened so late after school. Now as a parent of a high schooler (who is also a staff member) I wonder about the September hours.
Request:
It might be worth looking at the ability to staff the pool in September after school due to decrease of staff availability and who uses the pool at that time.
1) Fewer kids are available to guard. I see the availability of the kids who can guard and it is drastically lower than during the summer due to college and also high schoolers have schoolwork, coaching jobs, and activities that prevent them from signing up for more shifts. For Labor Day weekend my daughter signed up for 2 shifts (the Friday day off of school, and Saturday) but help was needed for the picnic so she signed up for that day as well…totally 27 hours for four days. And I think they were still short staffed.

2)In addition to staffing issues, it raises the question of who is using the pool at these hours?
From my understanding it is often adult members waiting to use the pool after school.
Maybe we could offer adult swim til 415pm with different staffing/check in requirements? 4:15 allows kids to take the bus (on days my daughter worked at the pool I am fortunate to have job flexibility to pick her up at school so she can make it in time.) The kids get out of class at 3:10 at Yorktown. We make it home by 3:30. For the pool to open at 4, she should be there at 345, which gives very little time to change, grab a snack, and get to the pool. (and her days start at 4am with her swim club so she can’t bring her wet stuff to school to go directly to the pool to guard).
Or just adult swim after school and then the pool is open to everyone on Fridays and the weekends? I think for adult swim we just have the manager on duty, I am not sure if that is the case or if there is a manager available? I know this does not help parents with elementary kids and younger.

Idea: To help entice more guards, I heard other pools offered over time pay for hours worked in September. I don't think money is the issue, I think it is lack of time, but it might help attract a few more guards in those months.
Thanks!

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Courtney Desautels

September 20, 2022

Member Directory - search by first name

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Hi -

Can we ,modify the online member directory so that it allows searching by first name?? Currently, it allows only last name searches - which is not nearly as helpful when you meet someone at the pool and get only their first name.

Hope this is useful,

Jim

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Jim Schlichting

September 6, 2022

Stop the Slip

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My family’s suggestion is to add a sand type covering or mats to the bathroom floors. They are super slippery when they are wet and we have seen several people fall the this swim season.
Thanks for the consideration.

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Megan Woods

July 31, 2022

Cleaning Crew

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Hi, DH Board Members,

I think we should hire a cleaning crew to clean the bathrooms 1 day/week. It can be something as simple & easy as Merry Maids, etc. We can work this modest fee into our dues.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, the bathrooms are gross. 🙂 And I know I'm not the only one that thinks this. Even my kids mention the bathroom - tons of hair in the showers, toilet paper all over the floors, brown skids (caked on) in the toilets (I think you know what this means, ha), etc. I know all of these things are going to happen in a bathroom - especially a pool (wet conditions) and families (lots of kids) but I do think there is an opportunity to make sure our bathrooms are cleaned. As a former lifeguard - 8 years and various pools - we were required to clean the bathrooms as part of our job. If this is not something we require our staff to do, that's okay! - but we need an alternative.

Happy to talk more, or explore options/prices for the pool.

Thanks,
Melody

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Melody Jones

July 31, 2022

9/2 Pool Hours

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If there is enough staff, can the pool open earlier on September 2 since there’s no school? Thanks!

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Alison Fesler

July 31, 2022