Students, parents, and community members rally on Sunday to reopen Willard Pool. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel About 75 people rallied on the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Derby Street in Berkeley Sunday afternoon to convince the City Council to put a pool bond measure on the November ballot. Holding signs that read “Save Willard Pool,” and […]
Measure C
Posted inSchools, Video
A ‘funeral’ for a much-loved Berkeley swimming pool
Berkeley’s Warm Pool at the Old Gym on the Berkeley High campus filled with swimmers Wednesday night for probably the last time ever, as scores of pool loyalists gathered for a mock funeral. The Old Gym is being shuttered and is slated to be demolished in 2012. Above is a video shot last night, which […]
Posted inCity, Community, Schools
Willard swimming pool is now filled with mud
The city of Berkeley has filled Willard pool with dirt. The pool was shut down June 30, 2010 after voters rejected Measure C, which would have imposed a special tax to help maintain Berkeley’s four public swimming pools. Don’t make the mistake of trying to dive in.
Posted inCity
Comment: Voting on Measure C shows a city split
June 1964 story reporting opening of Willard Swim Center. Courtesy Berkeley Public Library. Robert Collier, co-chair of the Berkeley Pools Campaign, has analysed the results of the votes cast for and against Measure C, the failure of which led to yesterday’s closure of Willard Pool. At 7:30 pm Wednesday, after exactly 46 years and four days […]
Posted inCity
Last-gasp bid to save Willard Pool eyes city subsidies
Willard Pool, circa 2009. Photo: protographer23 An eleventh hour attempt to save Willard Pool, at least for the summer, has been hatched by the head of a Berkeley neighborhood association and will be presented at tonight’s City Council meeting by councilmember Gordon Wozniak who supports the idea. The proposal, conceived by George Beier, the President of the […]
Posted inCity
Pools majority falls short: Closures expected
Measure C, the ballot proposition that would have funded rehabilitation of Berkeley’s four pools, won just over 60% of the vote, falling short of the required two-thirds. Robert Collier, co-chair of the Berkeley Pools Campaign, said in an email exchange shortly after the votes were counted last night, “Measure C lost only because of the […]
Posted inCity
What’s on today’s ballot?
According to the Field Poll, a record-low turnout of voters is expected in today’s election — perhaps as little as one-third. Berkeley, which is more politically oriented than many places, should do better. There’s only one Berkeley-specific item on the ballot today, Measure C, which would issue bonds to fund renovation of Berkeley’s pools and […]
Posted inCity, Community
Comment: When Tom met Shirley in support of pools
Robert Collier, co-chair of the Berkeley Pools Campaign, writes about this week’s press conference for Measure C, which is on the ballot in next Tuesday’s election. At a press conference late Tuesday, Mayor Tom Bates and former Mayor Shirley Dean temporarily set aside their longtime rivalry to join forces in denouncing the anti-Measure C campaign. “We’ve […]
Posted inCity
Mayor Bates pushed into pool for Measure C
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, along with council-members Linda Maio and Kriss Worthington, were pushed, fully clothed and voluntarily, into Willard swimming pool yesterday at a gathering to express their support of Measure C. Measure C, which is on the June 8 ballot, aims to save Berkeley pools and, without it, Willard pool is slated for permanent closure […]
Posted inCity, Community
Comment: Measure C creates a legacy
Robert Collier lives in North Berkeley and is co-chair of the Berkeley Pools Campaign. He writes about the intensifying campaign for Measure C: In Berkeley, local folk know it’s election season when the city’s streets begin to be garlanded with election signs supporting one or another candidate or ballot measure. By that standard, this weekend […]
