Sand Springs Group Reaches Goal to Buy Pool
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Sand Springs Recreational Center has raised more than $550,000 to reach its goal to buy the Sand Springs pool.
Last month's townwide appeal to residents raised more than $36,000 to complete the drive. SSRC and owner Wampanaug Springs Inc. have scheduled a closing date for July 8. It will take a week or so to ready the pool for the season, and the board is targeting a July 15 opening date.
"We are thrilled," said Josiah Low, a trustee of center and, along with his wife, Penny, the lead donor to the project, whose initial grant was seminal to the campaign's success. "The people of the Northern Berkshires came together and saved a special community gathering place. We are touched by the hundreds of people — 305 of them to be exact — who contributed to this campaign to save Sand Springs."
Gifts ranged from $5 to $82,000 and donations came from Williamstown, North Adams, Pittsfield, Pownal, Vt., and 22 states, including Hawaii.
The drive to purchase the property began two years ago upon the closure of the landmark pool by owner Wampanaug Springs Inc., which had been trying to sell it since 2008. The group plans to reopen the recreational center and maintain it through membership fees. It is also seeking an executive director.
"We are delighted to be able to reopen this historic treasure to the community," said Janette Kessler Dudley, Sand Springs president. "In addition to the wonderful recreational opportunities, we will re-introduce fresh and healthy food, build a high-quality swimming program, offer scholarship opportunities, and, in the fall, build a beautiful new community room. Please come experience the new Sand Springs. Thank you to all our donors for making our vision a reality."
Lead donors to the pool, in addition to the Lows, include The Alice Shaver Foundation, Williams College, The Jake Foundation, Sheila Stone, Eric and Stacy Cochran, the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown Savings Bank, Orion and Lisa Howard, and several anonymous donors.
Sand Springs has been a Northern Berkshire attraction for nearly 250 years. The curative properties of the spring water and the bucolic setting have attracted residents and tourists for generations. One of the only thermal spas in the Northeast, the water of Sand Springs bubbles to the surface at a mean temperature of 72 degrees throughout the year.
The Wampanaug Inn and Bath House was built on the site in 1907. The George family purchased the property in 1950 and operated it for more than 50 years before selling it to Wampanaug Springs in 2003. Under Wampanaug's ownership, the facility was completely renovated and updated. Although it was opened briefly last summer, the owners have no plans to open it in the future.
The Sand Springs Springwater Co., previously owned by Maxine and Jennifer Morin, has existed on the property above the pool since 1893, and was the site of the former four-story Greylock Hotel and the smaller Sand Springs House. (The Sand Springs Springwater Co. is separate from the Recreational Center and still in business.)
The pool will be open for eight weeks this first season, until Sept. 8, from 11 to 7:30 daily. There are various payment options including daily-use rates ($10 for adults, $8 for kids 5-18; $5 for kids under 5; $8 for seniors), a two-week membership or a seasonal membership.
The membership rates is $495 for a family of four, and anyone who signs up for a membership this year will receive a 15 percent discount on the 2014 membership fee.
"As a non-profit, our goal is to keep rates as low as possible, while providing a high quality experience for our visitors and members," said Dudley. "A family will spend less for an entire day at the pool than a trip to the movies."
A goal of the trustees is to make swim lessons and the pleasure of an outdoor swimming pool available to those who might not be able to otherwise afford to go. A Sand Springs scholarship fund has been established, and the board is still actively raising money to help support the fund.
"Ideally, every youngster in this area should have the opportunity to learn how to swim," said Carl Samuelson, a trustee and an adviser to the Samuelson Swim Academy. "It's a matter of safety, and lifetime health and pleasure. We're starting modestly, but it's close to our hearts."
More information about the membership and lessons can be found on at SandSpringsPool.org. The nonprofit is accepting tax-deductible donations, which will be listed on the website and acknowledged in a prominent place at the pool.
Contributions can be made online or by mailing a check to Sand Springs Recreational Center Inc. at P.O. Box 800, Williamstown, MA 01267. For more information: info@sandspringspool.org.
Members of the board are Joe Bergeron, Stephanie Boyd, Erin Casey, Joe Cleary, Hugh Daley, Janette Kessler Dudley, Christina Howard (treasurer), Maryam Kamangar, Josiah Low, John McAlister, Steve Narey (clerk), Jane Patton, Carl Samuelson, Malcolm Smith, Jeff Stripp and Jennifer Trainer Thompson.
Tags: family programming, Sand Springs, swimming,
