Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District school committee members voted to form a Grama Pool subcommittee after more than a dozen residents urged repairs, restored programming and staffing for the pool during public participation at the committee's open meeting.

The pool — long used for swim lessons, Kids Cafe programming, youth swim teams and lifeguard training — has been closed intermittently in recent years for mechanical troubles and more recently has been the subject of complaints from parents and summer program staff about lost program capacity. The committee agreed to create a subcommittee of community members, staff and central-office representatives to research repair options, funding sources and operational models and report back to the full committee.

Why it matters: The pool is used by a range of district programs and local summer activities, and residents told the committee its closure has reduced student opportunities, cut seasonal employment and forced families to travel outside town for swim lessons and team practice. The committee said it does not yet have a determination on whether the pool will be permanently closed and that an engineering study is pending.

During the public-participation period, speakers described the pool's history and impact. Several longtime program leaders and former aquatic directors recounted past swim programs, special-needs aquatic lessons and summer-camp uses that once filled the facility for lessons, lap swims, swim clinics and swim-team practice. Current and former program staff and families said the pool provided early swim instruction, lifeguard certification opportunities and jobs for teenagers.

Among those who spoke were Lakeville resident Tristan Moreau and several current and former program staff and camp directors from Freetown and East Freetown; second-grade student Cadence Vega Jones delivered a recorded message asking the committee to keep the pool available for future campers. Jocelyn Carvalho, a recent district graduate, described learning to swim and later working as a lifeguard and coach. Speakers emphasized water safety for a community surrounded by ponds and the pool's role in the district's extended-year program.

Committee members said the district has engaged an engineering firm — Beebe & Associates — to provide a full engineering study of the pool and that the study will be presented at an upcoming meeting. Jack Higgins, speaking on behalf of the committee, said he did not believe a determination had been made to close the pool and described the engineering study as part of the district's due diligence.

Committee action: The school committee voted to form the Grama Pool subcommittee, inviting interested residents, staff and central-office personnel to offer input and join the group. The chair said the committee will collect volunteer interest via email and begin the subcommittee process; no timeline for final recommendations was set at the meeting.

Next steps: The district will present the engineering study to the committee at a future meeting. The subcommittee is expected to review the study, research grant and other funding options, and return recommendations to the full committee. Committee members and speakers encouraged residents with interest in grant research and fundraising to volunteer for the subcommittee.

Ending: Committee members said they would begin organizing the pool subcommittee and gather community volunteers; the district emphasized that engineering findings and budgetary information will drive subsequent decisions.