By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — While it is true the current Cape Henlopen High swim team is 70 members strong and there is a proposed $36 million indoor swimming pool included in the coming referendum, school officials want to clarify they aren’t suggesting spending about $500,000 in local funds per team member to build it.

“I just want to be clear that perspective is incorrect,” said Stephanie DeMalto, public relations coordinator for Cape Henlopen Schools. “We definitely don’t want to give the impression that the pool is ‘only for’ 70 kids because that’s not accurate.”

Indeed, during several informational meetings hosted by Superintendent Bob Fulton, he explained the educational intention to teach all Cape students to swim moving forward, as well as to offer much-needed services to the community.

“We can make our entire district drown-proof. Every kid can be taught to swim successfully,” Bill Geppert, Cape Henlopen swim coach, said. “It’s important to us, because we’re surrounded by water.”

And because he’s in a position to know, Mr. Geppert rankles a bit at the suggestion of a natatorium benefiting only 70 students.

“Most teams are turning away people who want to participate — there are only so many spots, but I had to make 30 cuts this year,” Mr. Geppert said. “Things have gotten more and more competitive and it’s a problem we are happy to have,” but he admits 70 spots out of a school population of about 2,000 feels a little exclusive.

But if that air feels a little thin, it’s nothing on what local parents of swim team members face when attending home meets at the local YMCA, which was not built with spectators in mind, and has some parents adopting interesting workarounds in order to participate.

“My husband and I volunteer as timers — it’s the only way we can see,” said Jan Fleming, a teacher at Cape Henlopen High School and parent of a swim team participant. “We are lucky enough to be able to do so.”

Parents swap places near one of the large windows outside the pool at the YMCA to catch a peek of their child racing down the lanes, or if they are very lucky and the meet isn’t well attended, trade places with someone on the pool deck.

“It depends on how large the other team is if you can sneak a place onto the deck for a race,” Ms. Fleming said. “It’s not a great place to watch if we’re competing against a large team.”

With populations in and around Sussex County continuing to grow, larger teams are going to become the norm, and not just public school teams.

Officials, including Mr. Fulton, have repeatedly said one of the goals of the facility is to offer the natatorium to private clubs or teams on a contractual or per event basis. Mr. Fulton has said the facility was placed outside of an existing school to more easily be able to do so.

“We could host the state championships here instead of the University of Delaware. We could host other competitions,” Mr. Geppert said. “This is bigger than Cape Henlopen swimming. This has a community benefit for everyone from little children to senior citizens.”

Staff writer Brian Gilliland can be reached at 410-603-3737 or bg@iniusa.org.