Members from the community take cause up a notch
Community members who want to save the natatorium took their cause to the next level this week by purchasing yard signs and t-shirts to pass out around the city.
Tanya O’Donovan, an organizer with the Facebook group “Save the Natatorium,” is in charge of the sign project. The first 100 signs have arrived and distribution began on Friday.
O’Donovan said she wanted to buy the signs because so many people in the community have been asking what they can do and how they can express their opinion on the issue.
“I haven’t really found anybody that wants to close it down,” said O’Donovan.
O’Donovan has been coordinating efforts to give away the signs through the Facebook group. She actually got a Facebook account just to join the group and help with its cause. Since the group started in the summer, its membership has swelled to nearly 1,500 people.
“It just blows my mind that they would even consider shutting it down,” said O’Donovan. “I’m going to do whatever I can to help this cause.”
O’Donovan said community members would be more than willing to help students bear the costs of operating the facility. She said that she and other community members would like to attend the forums that the Student Government Association will host later to present ideas for the natatorium’s use.
“Whatever the students want, we can incorporate into what we want,” said O’Donovan. “I think we could find a way we all could get what we want.”
O’Donovan believes that the natatorium is not only a part of local history, but it could also be a moneymaking machine by hosting swim competitions and other activities.
She said the city could use it to compete with Louisiana Tech’s new natatorium, or the city could concede millions in lost revenue to Ruston.
“If it was marketed, managed and promoted in the right way, you could have a profitable venture there,” said O’Donovan. “You don’t shut down a $15 million asset.”
O’Donovan can be reached on Facebook for those interested in getting a sign, shirt or offering other types of support.
Clint Branton • Sep 12, 2011 at 12:34 am
I believe that the majority of the general public is misinformed regarding the situation with the natatorium. The majority of students at ULM do not use the natatorium, and I strongly believe that students shouldn’t have to bear the expenses of something they do not utilize. I have discussed with several students their opinion on the issue and they strongly supported the closing of the natatorium if we could use the space for more practical purposes. These same people also liked the idea of trying to get a new swimming pool that would be better suited for relaxation and social activities instead of a pool that serves just as a competition and exercise pool like the one we have now (especially since it is in need of costly repairs). I believe that once the students of ULM and the community of Monroe sees the plans and the possibilities of what could be built here on campus, there will be strong support of closing the current pool and adding a new. These new plans and renovations will be another huge step in enhancing ULM and making it one of the premier universities in Louisiana.