Climbing walls, classes now offered at Lansing pools
Two 15-foot climbing walls, more classes are benefits from new partnership city has with YMCA, School District.
LANSING -- A new partnership will provide more recreational opportunities for the city's indoor and outdoor pools. And in the case of one community center, create plenty of gravity-defying thrills.
The Lansing School District, city's Parks and Recreation Department and YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing unveiled Thursday the addition of two nearly 15-foot high climbing walls at the school district's pool inside the city's Alfreda Schmidt Southside Community Center.
Addition of the climbing walls are part of a partnership between the school district, city and YMCA that also calls for more classes at the city's indoor and outdoor pools. The classes are expected to be taught by certified YMCA swim instructors who are trained in water safety, swim instruction and aquatic exercise.
"This shows what is possible with collaboration," Mayor Virg Bernero said Thursday at the community center. "We really are trying to be full-service throughout the city."
Jeff Scheibel, the Lansing YMCA's president and CEO, sad the the organization coordinates with up to 30 local partners a year and sees its work with the city and school district as a positive way to expand its network. The YMCA recruits and trains lifeguards and swim instructors all 12 months out of the year, he said.
The community center at 5825 Wise Road, is named after Alfreda Schmidt, the former City Council member and Ingham County commissioner. Money from the city's parks millage covered installation of the climbing walls. The pool is used for competitive school events. Since the competitive seasons are over this school year, Brett Kaschinske, the city's parks and recreation director, said it was the right time to "put the fun factor back into the pool."
Just a decade ago the pool was closed at the facility formerly known as Lansing's Harry Hill High School. The school district spent about $600,000 to reopen the pool so it could be used for competitive and recreational use, said Teresa Szymanski, the district's chief operations officer.
Schmidt, now 90, described improvements at the community center and city's partnerships with the school district and YMCA as the "hallmark of success." She's lived in the city since 1951.
"You never do anything alone," Schmidt said. "I say that every day."
The city also has outdoor pools at Hunter and Moores parks. For information call the parks and recreation department at (517) 483-4277 or the Southside Community Center at (517) 483-6685.
Contact Eric Lacy at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.