Free Swim Day offered at Corning's City Pool

Jul. 28—With unanimous approval from the City Council, Corning is offering a Free Swim Day at its City Pool on Aug. 7, in an effort to gain community input for the Rural Recreation and Tourism Grant application process.

Outreach to the community and residents' input play a very important role in applying for the competitive grant, said City Recreation Director Christina Meeds.

Awarded through the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the $3 million grant, with no match required, will be most competitive by creating a new recreation feature in an existing park which will support economic, tourism and health related goals, she added.

"These can include a recreation facility, splash pad, pump track, and more," Meeds said.

Grant applications will be evaluated based on median household income, visitor attraction, residents' health, physical activity and community engagement and will be judged on a pointed-criteria system.

One 15 point criteria to be judged on submitted applications include at least two engagement methods to ask for public design ideas, thus the reason for the Free Swim Day, which Meeds said, is hoped to provide a broad representation of participants in a survey of what residents would want in a new feature at a city park.

The application criteria also includes, for six points, employment and volunteer opportunities, whereby at least 20 residents will receive employment or volunteer opportunities.

Other pointed criteria listed is for environmental design, public use fees and hours of operation, community challenges and readiness, partnerships in the project, city population, and more.

The Free Swim Day will start at 11 a.m. and run for about five hours at a cost to the city of about $450 to pay for lifeguards.

Corning's City Pool is located at 1414 Colusa St., at the Northside Park.

For more information, contact City Hall at 824-7029.