Staff Reports Walnut – It’s true that public pools bring good things to a community. From swimming lessons and healthy exercise to organized water sports, water safety and, well, fun, which is why a new Aquatic Center may be in Walnut’s future. The City of Walnut currently provides a program utilizing the Walnut High School pool. The Walnut Unified School District allows public use during the summer, offering a multitude of courses for swimmers of all ages and abilities; but priority belongs to the high school’s aquatic team. Nearby Mt. San Antonio College also allows public use of their pool with organized programming, but Walnut itself doesn’t have an aquatics center to serve its nearly 30,000 residents. One individual in particular feels the Walnut High School’s nearly 40-year old pool does not meet the needs of the community. Claudine Stines, who has lived in the city since 1973, seems intent on formulizing a plan that would help the city approve the project. She has spent the last several months gathering information on the benefits of an aquatic center, and has made some progress. According to recent information from Stines, she hosted a Community Awareness booth at the Walnut Family Festival on October 12 to provide information and facilitate the collection of signatures on a petition for this project. Suzanne Middle School’s Art Department provided a display, “What Would Your Ideal Aquatic Facility Look Like”, to instigate some creative ideas from the students. The five finalists in the contest were presented with awards at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on October 15, where an Aquatic Park Subcommittee Report was also presented. Stines reports that back in 2007, the Park and Recreations Commission formulated a proposal to the Walnut City Council regarding the development of an Aquatics Park and Building Complex in the Three Oaks housing development. Due to the economy at that time, the $10 million budget item lay dormant. Six years later, Stines is happy to report that the City of Walnut Parks and Recreation Department has agreed to place the topic on their November 19 agenda. Up for discussion is the feasibility of using the nine acres selected for an Aquatic Center back in 2007, currently owned by the City, Three Oaks and Walnut Ranch. There is also acreage in the hills above Country Hollow Drive, currently adjacent to tennis courts and a soccer field that might allow for an expanded version of an Aquatic Center. Steins is encouraged by the City’s willingness to at least discuss feasibility, but admits there is a long way to go to achieve the goal. She has directed a petition to Mayor Tony Cartagena, and invites you to join her in showing that the community agrees upon the need for an Aquatics Center. If you would like to sign the online petition, visit http://chn.ge/1e1ewyp.