Editorial

Summer’s here, and everyone wants to swim. That’s a given come June.

Usually, it’s also a given that the outdoor pools at Corona del Mar and

Newport Harbor high schools are heated for the various people who use

them.

This year, it became apparent that there could be a snag. With

California in the midst of an energy crisis, and energy prices on the

rise, Newport Beach officials decided they would only heat one of the

district’s two pools. And Corona del Mar ended up on the cold side of the

decision.

An obvious result followed as those affected expressed disappointment

and outrage over that proposal. And with the cries getting louder, city

leaders changed their minds and made an agreement with the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District to keep Corona del Mar’s pool open and heated.

But so what? What if city officials didn’t cave in and pay the $33,760

to heat the pool for eight weeks, thus leaving the water a little chilly

for a couple of months. A bit of a chill doesn’t stop residents from

diving into the Pacific Ocean. And temperatures of that large body of

water hovers in the low 70s during the summer.

The sun can do a much better job of heating man-made pools. So, if

unheated, it is hard to imagine the Corona del Mar pool freezing its

users.

Given these factors, the city should have saved money and should have

conserved much-needed energy by keeping the pool unheated. It would have

been the right thing to do, even if it wasn’t the easy one.

Sometimes, people have to tough it out. Sacrifices -- however small --

sometimes must and should be made. And during a summer when consistent

flows of energy can mean life or death for the sick who are confined to

their homes, meeting the bottom line for small businesses or just the

lights being on at home, this was one of those times.