BOE Member Eric Zizza Discusses Impact of Today’s Capital Project Vote

Many people in Weedsport have been in or used the WHS pool for one reason or another. For some, it has been a place to take swimming lessons, and for others it has been their home as a member of the swim team. As one of the smallest schools in the area to have a pool, it has been an integral part of many students and staff’s lives. The pool was commissioned to last 40 years before being replaced or refurbished. As of now, it has been 45 years.

Due to the age and deterioration of the pool over the last 45 years, residents of the WCS District community will vote today on a $5.2 million Capital Project that would allow for reconstruction and renovation of the pool, including locker rooms, in the Junior-Senior High School. A positive vote would also fund upgrades for the fire alarm and smoke detection system in the Elementary School. The project is eligible for up to 85.5 percent of the costs to be funded by the state and would be paid off in full over a 15-year period, according to the district.

The Board of Education recently sent out a pamphlet depicting the pool’s condition, and a proposal to replace it. In the pamphlet, the pictures showed the pool’s outdated equipment, cracking concrete, and rusty pipes. The pamphlet also informed the reader how the cost to Weedsport’s tax payers, $754,000, could be paid off over the course of 15 years.

The outcome of this proposal will change the pool program, and the renovation will definitely impact the town and taxes. The students may not notice this as much as their parents, but this decision will affect the swim team and its coaches.

The Johnny Green recently asked WCS Board of Education member Eric Zizza a few questions about today’s vote, as well as a few questions about his own swimming career while he was a student at WHS. Zizza was kind enough to take the time to answer the questions below:

Q. As a former swimmer in the school’s program, why do you think the swimming program is important for future generations?

A. I believe Weedsport’s pool gives our students the opportunity to learn a skill that could someday save their lives. There are not many sports or athletic activities that can make that claim, but swimming is one of them. Water activities are so prevalent in our region that many of us who grew up in Weedsport are able to take for granted our ability to enjoy them because we learned to swim at a young age. You don’t have to be on the team to benefit either. The pool also affords our students a unique competitive opportunity and an alternative that very few other small schools can offer.

Q. Can you explain to our readers a little about your background as a swimmer and student at WHS, and your feelings about your time spent on Weedsport’s team?

A. I got involved in swim club back when I was in elementary school. This was an after school program for students to get into the pool and learn to swim laps. Back then it was just fun to swim and I didn’t have much else to do. As I approached the age when I could do modified sports I got involved in football and because of my past swimming experience I also joined the swim team. (That fact that I couldn’t dribble or shoot a basketball was also a determining factor in the decision!) Anyone who has played football knows you get a little beat up as the season goes on. However, when I got into the pool it not only was a great workout, but my joints and muscles got healthy as well.

I stuck with those sports throughout my varsity career. I did track a couple seasons, too. The discipline and time management skills I learned as a student athlete shaped me as person back then. My swim coach, Coach Griffin, instilled a strong sense of independence in his athletes. He ran the program in many ways like a military camp, but along the way he taught you how to set goals and work hard to achieve them. It didn’t matter if they were academic, athletic, or personal, when you achieved your goals your confidence grew and you knew that you could get even better.  

After I graduated from Weedsport I went on to dive in college. I competed at the Division 1 level and lettered each of my four years, serving as captain in both my junior and senior seasons. Many of my teammates and competitors were from much bigger schools from around the country. It was very intimidating when I first got to college, but I figured out pretty quickly that the skills that I learned at Weedsport, whether it was in the classroom, on the field or in the pool, could lead me to success in college and beyond.

Q. As a Board member, do you worry about the bias there may be if you support the pool renovation, due to the fact you were once a swimmer at Weedsport?

A. Back when I campaigned for the School Board I was very upfront with my support of the pool and the tremendous resource it is for our community. One of my goals as a school board member is to foster better utilization of the facility and make it more accessible.

Q. Do you think the money used to renovate the pool is being wisely spent?

A. I believe that anytime we teach a student to swim, we prevent a drowning and our ability to continue to teaching these skills is well worth the investment.