I am writing in response to Denny Offstein's comments of Feb. 26 ("Action for city kids") about the Feb. 9 city council meeting. In that letter, he discusses the use of the public swimming pool.

He is mistaken and wrong about the comments I made regarding the use of the pool and the concern for the children in our community.

I always have supported quality children's programming. In fact, that is a major responsibility of mine with the library system.

The children of our communities are our future; they are well worth our time and investment.

I have gone to bat many times for quality children's services. Quality programs help to build self-worth and self-esteem.

I worked on the Comprehensive Planning Committee for Parks and Recreation and open spaces for Butler in 2004 and in early 2005. When others voiced that it was not worth having the public pool opened because of low attendance, I voiced my difference, in favor of addressing the issue with the pool and then deciding what could be done.

It will be an expensive venture, but without a feasibility study it is a venture that cannot even begin.

That is just the way it is. This study was asked of the council in 2005 but nothing was done.

I took my oath in January of this year, and a feasibility study is scheduled for this month, under my persistence and dedication to address the pool situation.

Other members of the council also are aware of how valuable a recreational facility it is to our children and families, and I am pleased that they support this study.

But I also know and understand that if this issue is not addressed correctly, it is something we will be facing over and over again.

If filled as is, the pool will lose water every day; there is a leak in the infrastructure somewhere.

Temporary fixes in the long run are more costly than permanent fixes. It is better to permanently repair the condition of the pool, if possible, for reliable service each year, than to throw money into it just to be washed away daily by using it as is.

I would hope that the benefactors of Camp Creation would appreciate and see the logic in these decisions. The opening of the pool for this wonderful program is more involved than just the cost of the water bill.

In addition to finally pinpointing the mechanical defects of the pool, many other valuable assets will be provided from this study.

The council has many responsibilities to the community; the swimming pool is just one of them.

I promised leaders of Camp Creation that I would keep them informed about the status of the pool as it progressed. I plan to keep that promise and welcome anyone from the committee to call me with questions or concerns.