| With the town election coming up, we sent a note to the candidates for select board and school committee asking them to introduce themselves and optionally share their views on the pool project. Please see below for their responses: |
| Anthea Brady Select Board Candidate I’m running for re-election to the Select Board. In my time on the board, and my time living in Winchester, I’ve continued to be impressed by Swim Winchester’s goal to have a year-round community pool in Winchester. Knowing how to swim is a critical skill and pools allow for continued exercise and healthy recreation activities – something many of our residents need to find outside of Winchester. I support Swim Winchester’s goal of a community pool and the needed collaboration with the Town and neighboring residents in moving a plan forward. |
| Paras Bhayani Select Board Candidate The indoor pool proposed by Swim Winchester is a great concept and one that will help us strengthen our sense of community with a recreational facility that can be used year-around and that can be shared with Winchester High School. To that end, I support the Select Board’s conditional approval for Skillings, which requires that any plan satisfactorily address all issues related to flooding / stormwater management and any neighborhood impact, among other items. But whatever the location, a community pool will be a tremendous asset for Winchester. More broadly, I am strongly committed to a capital investment program for our parks and recreation facilities, expanding the coming reconstructions of Leonard Field and McDonald Field to a Town-wide effort, and focusing on projects that benefit young families, seniors, and everyone in between. |
| Rick Welch Select Board Candidate I think an Aquatic Center in Winchester would be a great addition to the community. I hope to be able to work with Swim Winchester to create new ideas and a different approach to raising the funding necessary to make The Aquatic Center a reality sooner than later. Raising $30 Million is challenging and could certainly take a long time by raising funds privately and hoping that the town agrees to allocating millions of dollars. While being one member of The Select Board doesn’t make me able to promise that this gets accomplished, I can promise to work hard alongside the rest of the board until we get results. Our school system and our sports programs are a major part of what makes our town so valuable, and I believe that the aquatic center would be an awesome addition to our property values and would enhance the quality of life for our seniors, swimmers and children. |
| Christian Nixon Select Board Candidate I have been a vocal supporter of Swim Winchester’s plans for a pool facility on Skillings/Ciarcia Field since the group’s thoughtful 2014 conceptual plan, and again following the 2015 site re-evaluation that considered the corner property at Middlesex and Palmer Streets. I was among the first School Committee members who through consensus supported additional site/soil investigations and design at the back corner of Skillings/Ciarcia Field. Since that time, Swim Winchester’s 2000+ supporters and 650+ donors have demonstrated strong community interest in our own community pool– one that will better accommodate WHS boys and girls swimming and aquatics/CPR education. I believe Swim Winchester’s latest site designs have thoughtfully taken neighborhood traffic and parking concerns into account and it is time to review expanded parking and vehicular circulation with Superintendent Hackett and Athletic Director Marc Arria. With Winchester’s passage of the Community Preservation Act, I can’t help but wonder if this is an even greater opportunity for a public-private-partnership to facilitate this project, perhaps accommodating other athletic needs and interests, as well. I welcome the opportunity to work with Town Counsel and the Select Board to identify what organizational or operational hurdles remain to help Swim Winchester realize its 2025 capital campaign goals! |
| Karen Maruyama Bolognese Select Board Candidate I’m a two term member & the current Chair of the School Committee. I have 3 children including a recent graduate & two in Winchester schools. I’m very excited for the possibilities before us. I listen to the community and work with leaders in town and the state to build trust and talk about our community and education needs. I’ll expand on these conversations as we as a Town determine next investments. I believe in opportunity for all. Every child brings different needs & skills in academics, athletics, arts, or special education. We must provide opportunities to foster their passions, mental health, and opportunities for intergenerational exchange. As for long-term planning, I’ve helped lead each of the milestones of the Lynch School, which will reopen on-schedule and within budget this fall. It’s the first net zero community building in Town, saving money for years to come. I’ll bring this experience and relationships with state decision makers to planning for a new Muraco School, with the goal of sharing the costs & reducing our tax impact. Finally, I’ve advocated for Winchester 2030, our 5 year strategic plan for investing in staffing & improvements to such areas as literacy / math, Mandarin, and Health & PE. We’ll work to make our strong Winchester schools even stronger. |
