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Politics & Government

East Side Residents Worry About Closure of SVMS Pool

Residents on the east side of Gilroy fear they'll lose one of their only recreational areas if the pool at South Valley Middle School is closed.

Gilroyans living on the east side of town are worried they'll lose one of their only nearby recreational areas if . Some even say the pool's demolition could encourage drug and gang involvement. 

Patch had the chance to chat with some community members during the city council's June 4 meeting, where 14 Gilroyans took to the stand in support of saving South Valley's pool. About 60 residents flooded the council chambers, holding signs with messages like, “Be Cool and Pay for the Pool.”

Check out what locals have to say about South Valley's pool, below. 

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Rebeca Armendariz is adamant about saving South Valley's pool. The east side resident presented council members with a petition of 300 signatures in support of keeping the pool open. 

"That's the only recreational pool we have in the area," Armendariz said. "Without it, we're using sprinklers and water hoses."

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Gilroy resident Jesus Becerra, 30, said South Valley's pool should stay open so residents on the east side of Gilroy have an alternative to drugs and gangs, which he saw “running rampant in the streets” when he moved to Gilroy in the 1990s. 

“Young people turn to drugs and violence during tough economic times [and] that’s what we’re in now,” he said. “The district and the council should be able to work together to try to help the pool and the community. I think that, for the east side, the pool is one of the things that the community there can take joy and pride in.”

Devonna Chapa, 22, of Gilroy, said she hopes an agreement can be reached so community members can enjoy the pool like she did when she worked there as a teen. 

“I got to experience the families’ and children’s joy,” she said. “I think the pool is an expression of the community's joy. I have a 3-year-old son of my own now, and I want him to experience joy there, too.”

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