Credit: Tasha Janoff

Since October of 2023, the Making Waves campaign has been fundraising for the Wayland Community Pool (WCP) to renovate the entirety of the building. “The fundraiser ensures that different groups can continue using the space, and that the pool has funds to make any necessary future changes,” WHS swim team member Zach Rainville said.

Since October of 2023, the Making Waves campaign has been fundraising for the Wayland Community Pool (WCP) to renovate the entirety of the building. The campaign is composed of parents and coaches who hope to provide swimmers and divers with a space that can support their athleticism. So far, Making Waves has raised over one million dollars through social media, local websites and a fundraiser gala planned for March 23.

WCP received contributions from specific donors who are members of the Wayland community and frequently support the pool. WCP also received a proposed grant from Wayland Community Preservation Funds, which amounted to $326,000. Through the specific donors and the proposed grant, WCP reached $500,000 before the fundraiser was even launched to the public. The WCP team’s advertising for the fundraiser has targeted the entirety of the Wayland community, and specifically targeted parents of current and past swimmers and divers.

“We are picking up the phone and personally speaking to those who are passionate about maintaining and improving Wayland community offerings, some with current students and others whose children are long grown but left with a lasting impression,” Wayland resident and WCP member Abby Larson said.

One of the larger fundraisers that the WCP is holding is an an adult-only gala at Wayland’s Sandy Burr Country Club on March 23. The gala will include provided food and drinks, as well as an auction in which the funds received will go directly towards improving the pool. Tickets to the gala can be purchased on the WCP’s website.

“We will be holding a silent auction with incredible items from vacation homes on Block Island to private swim clinics with Coach Foley, Wayland’s very own Hall-of-Fame coach,” Larson said.

According to WCP members, Wayland’s pool has been deteriorating for years. As a result, the WCP plans to renovate the pool’s scaffolding, diving boards, disabled person chair lift, locker rooms, lobby, plumbing and indoor and outdoor bubbles. While these conditions haven’t negatively affected WHS’s swim and dive team’s success, as the boys team finished in second place and girls finished in third place this past swim season, the athletes and coaches believe that improvement will benefit the success of these athletes.

“We want our beloved community pool, which supports a myriad of local programs, to represent the quality of swimmers that we see come through the doors every single day,” Larson said.

According to swim team co-manager and Junior Warriors swim team coach Aidan Shapley, swim practices have been a struggle due to the pool’s poor quality, leaving swimmers and divers with dwindling resources and a loss of practices. Shapley says that she has witnessed how the pool has deteriorated over the years and how it has affected the multiple teams that rely on the community pool.

“A few years ago, we had mechanical issues with both the pool and air heater,” Shapley said. “Swim teams were forced to pivot and [find] other communities’ facilities to continue their season, creating a lot of stress for athletes and families alike.”

Swim coach and owner of the WCP Matthew Dechane hopes that the renovated pool will provide new opportunities and features for the swimmers and divers.

“We are going to do some renovations to the pool area, [including] the locker rooms and the front lobby,” Dechane says. “We are looking at getting a new pool dome and heating system for the pool [as well].”

The pool is not only used by WHS’s swim and dive student-athletes, it is also used by many other programs, including Wayland Junior Warriors, the USA Team and Water Warriors. Additionally, Wayland residents can use the pool for lap swim, free swim, aqua exercise and summer memberships.

“From supporting Wayland’s swim and dive teams to local summer camps, having a pool like this in our community is truly a gift,” Shapley said.

The new pool will allow for easier access and benefits for those who use it. Senior swim team member Zack Rainville hopes that the fundraiser will help clear pool debts so that more time and energy can be spent improving the programs that take place at the pool.

“The fundraiser ensures that different groups can continue using the space, and that the pool has funds to make any necessary future changes,” Rainville said.