CLEARFIELD — A Clearfield City Council member believes that no child should be left behind when it comes to recreation.
During a dedication ceremony for the Clearfield Aquatic Center last week, Councilman Don Wood announced that for the next year his city council member stipend will go toward two new recreational scholarships. He said all children, including those who live below the poverty level, should be able to participate in the aquatic center and other Clearfield City recreational activities.
"Our goal and our objective today as leaders in this city is to see that none of the children of this city who cannot afford to come in stand and glare inside the glass wishing to be inside," Wood said of the new aquatic center.
Wood's stipend money, beginning January 2006, will be placed in either the new Lynn and Shir Lee Wood boys recreation scholarship or the new Red and Ruby Lucas girls recreation scholarship at Clearfield City. The money could be used for Clearfield youths who cannot afford the city's recreational center or activities.
Wood's scholarship announcement came during the official dedication ceremony of the Clearfield Aquatics Center, Friday, Nov. 4. The center opened in June but city officials were waiting for the completion of the parking lot before holding dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"This is a great milestone for the city of Clearfield and its citizens to finally get this new facility dedicated," Clearfield Mayor Tom Waggoner said during the ceremony.
Waggoner said the idea for the aquatics center started about eight years ago when city officials determined that it would be too expensive to upgrade the Clearfield city pool and make it seismically sound.
City officials have been working since in designing and securing funds for the new aquatics center. Waggoner said the center will be paid for by Clearfield city sales taxes. He said he is pleased with the outcome and with the citizen support of the new center.
During the summer, Clearfield Aquatic Center staff members had to turn people away because the pools were at capacity, Waggoner said.
"We're so tickled," Waggoner said. "We think it's a jewel for Clearfield city right on our Main Street."
The 72,000-square-foot facility houses two Italian pools, a leisure pool with spiral slide, lazy river and aquatic playground, a 3,500-square-foot lap pool with a 1-meter diving board, a weight room, gymnasium, aerobics room, indoor track and an exercise area with bikes and treadmills.
The center's building is adjacent to North Davis Junior High School. During the day, junior high students use the gym and weight room for classes, and then after school hours the city can use the facilities, Waggoner said.
Davis County School Board President Marian Storey said Davis County School District has other intercommunity partnerships with cities in the county, but Clearfield's partnership is the largest.
"They cooperate with one another and it's a situation that works out well for students and for parents it's just a win-win situation for everyone," Storey said after the dedication.
E-MAIL: nclemens@desnews.com