HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/6/2022 Item Public Comment, McGhee
Christian, Kevin
From:Andria McGhee <andria@mcgheemail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, April 6, 2022 4:34 PM
To:CityClerk
Subject:Pools in San Luis Obispo
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Hi there!
I would love to take 3 minutes to present some ideas about helping out with
the aquatic program at today's meeting. Here are the words I plan to share
with you.
My name is Andria McGhee. I am a teacher, a mother, and a swim instructor. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching
thousands of people to not only swim but to have positive experiences with water, even after having had
traumatic experiences. Water is a dangerous thing and can create death or fear but it can also bring such joy.
With so many bodies of water in San Luis Obispo County, I believe that education about water is a necessity.
I know a little girl by the name of Kate who had a 2-week swim course at the age of 7, at SLO Swim Center.
Her parents have always actively sought out lessons for their 4 kids but have had difficulty getting them all in
as the classes would fill up quickly. The following Spring some friend of hers had invited her over to swim. Two
adults were at the side of the pool with their feet in the water, watching the kids, scanning the water as they
talked. One parent noticed Kate’s long beautiful brown hair at the bottom of the pool, still and spread out like a
fan, Kate looking as if she had fallen asleep. They pulled her out of the pool, started CPR and immediately got
her to a hospital. She was unconscious the entire way. Luckily she survived without any known harm and is a
10 year old animal lover. We are lucky though. Most drownings don’t end so well. In the U.S., there are 3,500-
4,000 drownings per year. That’s 10 fatal drownings per day.
Most of these deaths, however, can be prevented. Education about the dangers of water and consistent swim
lessons are the answer to preventing deaths, especially in an area where the danger is all around us. Kids and
adults can learn techniques how to keep themselves safe when they find themselves in danger, they can learn
about little things that can keep them dramatically safer, like lifevests for example. There is also something
wonderful that happens when people start playing in water. They actually learn that water can be fun, which is
a lifelong skill for a healthy lifestyle. Just think of how often you, as an adult, might swim laps if you had a pool
you could go to or a coach to give you tips.
We need to expand our aquatic offerings to the community as a matter of public health. With San Luis Obispo
growing, the need will only get bigger. I hope that you can consider the help of an aquatic advisory board so
that we can utilize the expert advice that is prevalent in our community and can share it with others. This board
can help with solutions concerning lifeguard shortages, use of pool time that we have, and come up with
solutions for more pools in the future, such as a year-round enclosed pool to build these swimming skills all
year instead of just in the summertime. If our two experiences with water are death or joy, let’s choose joy.
Thank you for your time.
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Andria McGhee
925-330-2184
andria@mcgheemail.com
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