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The Carpet Capital Aquatic Club (CCAC) provides area youth with the opportunity to swim year round at Dalton High School and the Dalton Rec. More than 100 kids spend many hours in the water, getting plenty of exercise and learning valuable lessons about competition, discipline and commitment.
Every three years, CCAC raises funds by hosting the Chattanooga Area Swim League (CASL) Championships. Sadly, we have to leave Dalton because of our antiquated, inadequate facilities.
On July 16 and 17, CCAC hosted the CASL meet at the Arlene Crye pool in Fort Oglethorpe. The city of Fort O had the vision to recently renovate their 35-year-old pool and worked tirelessly to help make this meet a success. Their goal is to host the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association meet next year which would bring in 500-plus swimmers from all over the state.
Beyond the obvious water safety and recreational activities, there is an economic benefit to having a first class aquatic center. Over 900 CASL swimmers and their families opened their wallets and left their dollars in Fort O instead of Dalton. I spent over $50 without even trying. Do the math.
I urge the city of Dalton and the Whitfield County commissioners to give serious consideration to building our own state-of-the-art pool complex.
Diane Rogers
Cohutta
