Swim Winchester

latest-news

JOIN US MARCH 22ND FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL POLAR PLUNGE

Did you think that the first Polar Plunge was too warm? Were you hoping there would be more snow on the beach? The 2nd annual Polar Plunge is for you! Join other brave swimmers on the shores of the Mystic Lake on Sunday March 22nd. Registration opens at 1:30PM, swimming at 2pm, and hot chocolate directly afterwards. This is a fun event open to all! We hope to see you there!

FROM WINCHESTER TO THE OPEN WATER: MEET SEAN BANNON

Sean Bannon grew up in Winchester and recently swam the 20-mile Catalina Channel. In doing so he has earned the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, a feat fewer than 400 people have accomplished. Join us on Thursday, October 16th at 7pm at the Jenks Center to hear his story and chat with him about why access to water and recreational resources is so important.

JUMP IN THE LAKE TO HELP BUILD A POOL!

Join us for a refreshing dip in the DCR Mystic Lake on Sunday, April 13th. There will be hot chocolate, prizes & bragging rights. This event is free and anyone can join. We encourage swimmers to REGISTER in advance so we have a sense of numbers and have enough hot chocolate on hand! Registrants can also take advantage of fundraising-related prizes that will be given out on plunge day.

THE POOL PARTY WAS A SPLASHING SUCCESS!

What a party! Friday’s Fall Splash was so much fun, and a testament to the strong community we have in Winchester in support of an indoor pool. Now that we’ve dried off, and the beach balls have been deflated… what’s next?

Check out the event photos HERE, the FAQs that were presented at the event HERE, and how you can support Swim Winchester’s goal of creating an accessible indoor pool in Winchester HERE.

LAUNCHING THE NEXT WAVE

We recently held a launch event to gather input about the next phase of fundraising, and are energized by the excitement within the community around the pool. Here is the brochure that was distributed. We will be holding more informational and fundraising events throughout the year, and would love to see you there. Please email us if you’d like to get involved: info@swimwinchester.org.

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Vision

Swim Winchester is a volunteer nonprofit organization created to design, build, and maintain an all-season community swimming pool in partnership with the Town of Winchester. Our vision is to create a gathering space for the community. We are committed to promoting life-long health for all age groups, from infants to seniors, in a facility that is welcoming to all.

We can’t do this without you.

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Plan

A great pool begins with a great plan.

From the beginning, Swim Winchester has held focus groups and feedback sessions to collect input and ideas from community members. Topics have included young families, competitive swimming, senior activities, adaptive aquatics, and sustainability/green design. Swim Winchester has also commissioned studies from regionally and nationally recognized firms to lay a strong foundation for the project’s site, program model, and financial feasibility. Town officials have encouraged careful planning to ensure this facility will be a sustainable asset for future generations.

Click here for a summary of Swim Winchester Planning Studies (2014-2023)
Click here for the 2014 Feasibility Study
Click here for the 2015 Site Alternative Study
Click here for a summary of the 2021 Financial Analysis
Click here for the RFP document for the 2022 Preliminary Design Project

Tom Howley, Winchester Citizen of the Year 2013

In large measure, our decisions should be guided by WHAT WILL STRENGTHEN WINCHESTER AS A CARING & CONNECTED COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE. A community pool would do that for Winchester residents of all ages, no matter one’s wealth or income.

Kara Spelman, Former President of Winchester’s Family Action Network

My toddlers loved learning to swim, but WE HAD TO DRIVE 20 TO 30 MINUTES FOR LESSONS! WE WENT TO WOBURN, BURLINGTON, READING… the distance was both inconvenient and daunting to plan around meal times, nap times, and other activities. If Winchester had a facility of its own, we certainly would use it instead!.

Mark Arria, Winchester High School Athletic Director

The addition of an aquatics facility in Winchester would be of GREAT BENEFIT FOR NOT ONLY THE WHS BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ SWIM PROGRAMS, BUT FOR ALL OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES. A pool gives more options for both training and rehab purposes.

design

2022 Preliminary Design

The facility will feature:

An eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool
A large, warm water recreational pool
Bleachers and lesson observation areas
A fitness space with exercise machines
A multi-purpose event and meeting room
A welcoming lobby area
An outdoor patio for summer use

Our goal is to make the facility an attractive and integrated part of the high school athletics fields, the neighborhood, and the town.

A committee of local experts in architecture, engineering, and construction chose Boston-based Fennick McCredie (FM) Architecture through a competitive Request for Proposal process. FM Architecture has created a practical and beautiful preliminary design based on the facility’s business plan, site considerations, and community feedback. The design includes flexible spaces to accommodate fitness and aquatics activities for various ages and interests. Final facility features will depend on available funding.

The recreation pool will be focused on swim lessons, exercise classes, family fun, and aqua therapy. It will have access to an outdoor patio space for the summer months. The 8-lane, 25-yard lap pool will be for lap swimming, swim lessons, a town swim team, the Winchester High School swim teams, Masters swimming, and other water fitness activities. Fitness areas will include cardio and weight training equipment, as well as a separate studio space for aerobics, yoga, and other group activities.

JOHN MAY, WHS Class of 2016, 4-Year Varsity Swimmer

A Winchester pool would be tremendous for the swim teams. IT WOULD MEAN NOT WAKING UP AT 4:00 EACH MORNING TO DRIVE TO MEDFORD. It would allow us to host meets. And since the sport would not be isolated from the school experience, more potential athletes would be attracted to the team. The past four years I have been on the team, we have had only 15 swimmers. This makes it hard to compete with other schools.

IRENE SCHNELLER, Winchester Resident (in Memoriam)

For all my 40+ years in Winchester I dreamt of a community pool in town and worked for one (in vain) on various committees. I longed for this at first for myself and my three tots then later to avoid the hassle of getting my Winchester High School daughter to her 5 a.m. swim team practice at the rented pool in Wakefield. And now, AS A SENIOR, LIKE MANY OTHERS MY AGE, I NEED THAT SWIM EXERCISE ALL YEAR, CLOSE TO HOME. I’m thrilled that Swim Winchester is on the brink of realizing that dream and I will do what I can to help those people working for a pool for all of us.

Malini Nair, Professional & Mother of 2

WE NEED AN AQUATICS CENTER THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY. Having spent a lot of time, money, and effort taking my daughters to swimming pools in neighboring towns, I am very much in favor of Winchester having its own pool.

location

Location

The Winchester Select Board and Winchester School Committee have conditionally approved a site in the northeast corner of Skillings Field for the aquatics facility. Click HERE to view the 2018 Joint Resolution of the Winchester Select Board and School Committee addressing Skillings Field as the Swim Winchester site. This location complements the Winchester High School sports fields and prioritizes pedestrian access. Existing parking can be used for overflow during the facility’s busiest times – after school, on weekends, and in the summer. Design and construction will take into account neighborhood input, soil conditions, and flood mitigation.

Note: the below site plan was drafted in 2021. The proposed parking location and the pool building layout have since been updated in the 2022 Preliminary Design

Why is Skillings Field the preferred site?

Skillings Field (next to Winchester High School) was chosen as the best site out of 17 options evaluated by a Site Alternative Study. Two of its major advantages are its central location and parking. At this location, the community pool and fitness center integrates into our vibrant town with easy access from the high school, Jenks Center, and connection to our local businesses. Parking can be shared with the high school and other green spaces in town are preserved.

What about the floodplain?

The town’s multi-million dollar flood mitigation program is expected to reduce the size of the floodplain in the area, making construction on the northeast corner of Skillings field possible. The building would be carefully designed to minimize flood risk, possibly with the basin above ground.

NANCY BIGELOW, Tufts University Swim Coach & Swim Winchester Board Member

With multi-generational appeal, the aquatics center will be a SPACE THAT CONNECTS THE ENTIRE WINCHESTER COMMUNITY while offering much-needed aquatic programming.

SUZANNE LESLIE, WHS Alum and Mother of Two

Having a child who is on the autism spectrum, I’ve learned the importance of aquatic therapy. I’VE SEEN THE JOY AND TRANSFORMATION OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN WITH APPROPRIATE SWIM INSTRUCTION. I am so pleased that Swim Winchester is considering the needs of our special needs community for therapeutic aquatic programming as it could benefit so many children and adults in our town.

JOHN SULLIVAN, Former Winchester Town Moderator

To me, a community pool would be a perfect addition to our town’s current infrastructure, benefiting the health and well being of all citizens, across all ages and levels of physical ability. AN INDOOR POOL PROVIDES FOR YEAR-ROUND EXERCISE AND AFFORDABLE RECREATION, independent of the weather. In addition, for young people, learning to swim at an early age is a major safety achievement.

contact

Contact

Please leave your information below and we will get in touch or e-mail us at info@swimwinchester.org.

Our mailing address:
Swim Winchester
P.O. Box 44
Winchester, MA 01890

Board of Directors

Caroline Shamu, President
Bryn Buck, Clerk
Victoria Landi, Treasurer
Bev Antunes
David Bentley
Nancy Bigelow
Mary Chmielowiec
Catherine Curtis (Past President)
Jifeng Liu
Richard P. Solomon, CFRE
Janet Wolbrom

Volunteer Staff

Joseph Reid, Operations Director
Brad Shaw, Technology Director
Kristine Kamikawa, Art Director
Suzanne Leslie, Volunteers Coordinator