For local swimmers, there’s not enough water to go around
Plus: Council members mostly silent on chief settlement vote; 3 tips to avoid being cyber-scammed; Entrepreneur Grace Weisiger on podcast; Paul Simon closing women's store; The Pearl opens
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With too few public pools and limited lane space, local swim teams are forced to get creative, like retrofitting neighborhood pools to keep training
Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg, which includes 150 athletes ranging from 6 to 18 years old, practices every day year-round at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. They share the eight-lane, 50-meter pool with two other teams. (Photo courtesy of Shaynah Jerrell)
by Lindsey Banks
On a typical evening at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, the only county-run competition pool, the eight lanes are jam-packed with three swim clubs who share the pool for practice.
For the Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg, a youth swim club for ages 6 to 18, that leaves them just five lanes.
“You can't fit 150 kids in five lanes over four hours, so we were forced to find some additional water and be creative with it,” said Shaynah Jerrell, owner of Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg. Jerrell rents two neighborhood pools during the non-summer months, pays to heat them and covers one with a semi-permanent tent.
For the past few years, access to public pools has been an obstacle for local swim teams and families looking for a place to take their children to play and learn to swim. It also comes up at nearly every monthly meeting of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Commission, when commission members discuss needs they’re hearing in the community.
Mecklenburg County’s pool offerings are limited, but there are some plans to grow.
The county operates two outdoor family pools with slides and water features at Cordelia Pool in NoDa and Double Oaks Family Aquatic Center near Camp North End. And the county operates indoor pools at five facilities: the Northern Regional Recreation Center, Marion Diehl Recreation Center and Indoor Pool, Eastway Regional Recreation Center, Ray’s Splash Planet and the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in uptown, which is a competition pool.
The county’s Capital Improvement Plan for 2025-2029 includes plans to start construction on two more outdoor pools in the next few years at the Albemarle Road Recreation Center, which is set to be completed by 2030, and Tuckaseegee Recreation Center and Park, which will be completed in 2029.
“These plans will create a better distribution of pools across the community, improving access for residents,” said Britt Clampitt, a county public information officer, in an email to The Ledger.
The county’s decision to build these two pools was influenced by the public’s feedback on the parks department’s “Meck Playbook,” the spokesperson said, which is a 213-page document established in 2021 that sets visions and strategies to support the county’s recreation needs.
Need for another competition pool: Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center has one eight-lane, 50-meter competition pool and a four-lane, 25-yard teaching pool, which swim clubs say is no longer big enough to support the county’s population. Local swim clubs and advocates for more community swim facilities have been requesting an additional 50-meter pool to accommodate practices, swim meets and spectators.
When meets are held at the county aquatic center, Jerrell said there aren’t enough warm-up and cool-down lanes for the athletes. Sometimes, spectators are turned away because there isn’t enough seating.
“Trying to run a state championship-level meet there has become exceptionally challenging because there's not enough room for athletes and spectators,” Jerrell said.
The need is there, said Kip Kiser, the Park and Recreation Commission chairman, but county officials have not designated funds to expand the county’s aquatic center in next year’s budget proposal or the Meck Playbook.
“I’m for balance, and I think we’re out of balance,” Kiser said. “There are a lot of things people like, and it isn’t just about greenways and trails.”
The next closest facilities that are able to adequately host large swim meets are in Greensboro and Cary, Kiser said.
Could more partnerships be a solution? Other local sports teams have recently been pushing the county’s parks department for more playing fields for baseball, softball and soccer practices and games, The Ledger reported. The county is considering partnerships with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to use their fields after hours and on the weekends — a solution that Jerrell said should also be considered for pools.
Jerrell says a CMS school that’s near the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center has a small therapy pool that could provide extra space for swimmers to warm up and cool down before swim meets on the weekends, but CMS is not interested in renting it to her team, she said.
YMCA facilities and regional recreation centers are not an option either, she said, because they want to prioritize their members who wish to use the lanes to swim.
Jerrell, who is on a volunteer advisory council for Park and Rec, said she’s asked the county for the last five years for more pools but has felt dismissed by county staff. She partnered with other local swim clubs to present a proposal to sell the current aquatic center and use the money to build a state-of-the-art facility at the Eastland Mall site. It was shot down, she said.
“Park and Rec is having a hard time even finding lifeguards to work at the pools that they currently have,” Jerrell said, “but if they gave a little bit more time of day to swimming in general, then they would have a natural progression of people that have come in through those programs and then could run through lifeguarding courses. I think there's just a lack of forward thinking.”
Lindsey Banks is a staff writer for The Charlotte Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com
Related Ledger article:
“Dreaming of a new aquatic center for Charlotte” (Nov. 14, 2020)
Today’s supporting sponsor is Arts+. Lessons are available for all ages and abilities across a variety of instruments. Whether you want to be a lead guitarist or are fascinated by the violin, Arts+ is the place for you. Find out more today!
We asked City Council members to explain their votes on the police chief’s $305,000 settlement. Most didn’t.
A majority of City Council members are declining to explain their closed-session votes on a $305,000 settlement with police Chief Johnny Jennings.
Last week, Jennings released his settlement agreement with the city, which calls for him to receive $305,000 in the form of a raise, bonus, extra vacation and severance, in exchange for not suing the city. Jennings was upset that a former council member, Tariq Bokhari, sent him text messages and attempted to apply political pressure over the issue of allowing officers to wear exterior bulletproof vests.
Details of the settlement were first reported last week by The Charlotte Optimist, after the outlines of it were first reported early last month by WSOC and WFAE.
With the agreement now out in the open — and released with the city’s blessing — there’s no reason for further secrecy … right?
We wondered why the City Council approved the settlement, so we asked Mayor Vi Lyles and the 10 City Council members who were in office on the date of the closed-session vote, April 28, to explain why they voted the way they did.
We asked them by email on Thursday and followed up on Friday. Here’s what they told us:
Mayor Vi Lyles: Did not respond.
Mayor Pro Tem Danté Anderson (District 1): Did not respond.
Dimple Ajmera (at-large): Was out of office until Saturday, assistant out until Tuesday.
Victoria Watlington (at-large): Referred us to her previous comments, which did not disclose or explain her vote on the settlement but suggested she believes proponents did not disclose relevant information to the council.
LaWana Mayfield (at-large): Said she was not in the meeting at the time of the vote: “I do not have the specifics of the discussion outside of what I have also read in the media.”
James Mitchell Jr. (at-large): Said he did not attend the meeting. Added: “However, if I was present, I would have voted in favor of the agreement for Chief Jennings.” He did not reply to a follow-up email asking why.
Malcolm Graham (District 2): Did not respond.
Tiawana Brown (District 3): Said she was not in the meeting at the time of the vote.
Renee Johnson (District 4): Did not respond.
Marjorie Molina (District 5): Said she voted “yes” and is limited about what she can say because of personnel reasons. But she added: “I supported a resolution that acknowledged both [Jennings’] long service and the need for stability as we prepare for a new era of public safety leadership in Charlotte. I remain confident in our community’s capacity to move forward with integrity, and in our institutions’ responsibility to ensure transitions are handled with both discretion and respect. Transparency matters—and so does process. My vote reflected a desire to honor both.”
Ed Driggs (District 7): Did not respond.
There is no law that prevents council members from discussing their votes. Of course, they’re also not required to discuss their votes or talk to the media.
The vote to authorize the settlement in closed session has been reported to be 6-2. From our and others’ reporting, it sounds as though the votes broke down like this:
✅ YES: Six are believed to have voted in favor: Anderson, Graham, Johnson, Molina and Driggs, with Mayfield counted as a “yes” vote even though she wasn’t there because she left mid-meeting.
❌ NO: The “no” votes are believed to be Ajmera and Watlington.
DIDN’T VOTE: Mitchell and Brown were not there, and Lyles doesn’t vote except in case of a tie.
So — not a lot of clarity on what happened, exactly, but we’ll keep pushing to get you some answers! —Reporting by Morgan Boonshaft, written by Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
Scared of being cyber-scammed? Here are 3 ways to avoid it from Charlotte-area experts.
Cyber scammers are getting smarter, sneakier and more convincing by the day — whether it’s a phishing email that looks identical to a bank’s login page, a voice message that sounds like a family member in distress or reused passwords that open multiple digital doors to scammers.
The good news is, there are ways to protect yourself.
A panel of local cybersecurity experts shared practical steps to guard against falling victim to scammers during a recent meeting of the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce.
Here are three tips from the conversation:
◼️ Beware of how scammers are using AI: With the rise of artificial intelligence, hackers can use AI to generate “deep fakes” — hyper-realistic fake audio or videos — that can trick even cautious users.
For example, criminals call a victim posing as a close friend or relative in distress, sometimes even using a recorded voice that mimics a family member.
Tim Timmons, director of technology at Dove Technologies, recommended that loved ones have a secret phrase that isn’t shared with anyone else, “so if you’re over the phone, or if you’re over a video call … it is something that you slip into conversation that would validate who you are and that you do need to actually come to [the] rescue.”
Beware sending money in what seem like urgent situations — especially through suspicious apps or third parties, Timmons said.
◼️ Think harder about passwords and email accounts: Don’t use the same passwords for multiple accounts, because with a single breach — whether at your workplace or a personal account — you could give attackers access to many digital accounts.
Always choose passwords with nine characters or more — “brute forcers,” or hackers who use trial and error to guess passwords, typically try eight-character passwords.
“The longer it is, the better it is,” said David Cooper, senior vice president of information technology for Skyla Credit Union.
Never use passwords built around birthdays or anniversaries — dates that are easily findable on many people’s social media profiles — and are easy guesses for hackers.
Also, the experts recommended using different email accounts for different facets of your life so that in the case of a breach, criminals don’t have access to your entire email world.
Detective Chris McNeil of the cyber crimes division of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said he has four or five different email accounts for just that reason.
“If I want to sign up for a form or a message board, that goes to (one) email account. All my banking and anything logistical wise, if it has to do with money or anything else, that's a separate email account … with another for friends and family,” he said.
◼️ Be relentless about using multi-factor authentication: While multi-factor authentication can seem like a hassle, it remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop hackers. Even if your passcode is revealed during a leak, the second layer can prevent hackers from accessing your account.
Multi-factor authentication, whether it’s a face ID requirement or the use of an authentication app, adds an extra layer of security beyond just a password. It typically requires something you know (such as your password) and something you have (like a code from your phone or an authentication app, or facial recognition), Timmons said. —Austin Skeete
Sunrise demonstration at Ardrey Kell High
A crowd of about 50 lined the street in front of Ardrey Kell High School starting at 6 a.m. this morning to show support for school staff and former principal Jamie Brooks, who was quietly suspended for weeks before the sudden announcement of her retirement last Thursday. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administrators have not said why Brooks was suspended or what led to her retirement, but demonstrators this morning said they believe it was not Brooks’ choice to retire. She had been Ardrey Kell’s principal since 2020.
🎧 New on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast: an entrepreneur’s journey
Before Grace Weisiger could join her family’s four-generation business, The Weisiger Group (formerly Carolina Tractor and Equipment), her parents told her she needed to gain some experience in a different industry.
In 2014, while still a student at the University of Georgia, she received a call from a friend of a friend, who had a cryptic pitch: “I can’t tell you what we’re doing, but we’re starting a company, and it’s going to be huge. And we’d like you to be a part of it.”
Skeptical but intrigued, Weisiger listened. That call led her to Bumble, the dating app, which was then just a fledgling idea with a bold mission: empower women to make the first move. What followed was a crash course in startup grit, cultural change and marketing innovation that would shape her career.
Today, Weisiger is the founder of Willow Hill, a private investment vehicle.
In a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Weisiger talked with Ledger editor Tony Mecia about entrepreneurship, investing, search funds and her quest to find a profitable and established business to acquire and grow:
This episode is sponsored by Hillandale Advisors, a Charlotte-based investment and advisory firm that provides strategic counsel to local business owners and invests in private businesses, public equities and commercial real estate.
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast offers smart, in-depth weekly conversations with local leaders about business, local government, nonprofits and life in Charlotte to help listeners better understand our community. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast platforms.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
TODAY: “How Old Age is like Young Age with The Ivey and Judy Goldman,” 6-9 p.m., The Ivey Brain Health & Memory Wellness Center, 6030 Park South Drive. Join The Ivey for a special event — a thoughtful conversation with Charlotte author Judy Goldman on how aging reflects every stage we’ve lived through, and a deeper look into her latest memoir, “The Rest of Our Lives.” $25.
TODAY: “Speak Easy hosted by Brian Lafontaine,” 6-8 p.m., VisArt Video, 3104 Eastway Drive. Speak Easy is a Networking Group designed for speakers and those interested in speaking. Whether you are practicing storytelling, preparing for a keynote or actively working on your presentation skills, this is an event to get practice in front of an intimate audience. You may also join us as a spectator if you have aspirations of taking the stage one day. $35.
SATURDAY: “National Trails Day with Carolina Thread Trail,” 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., various locations. Be a part of our region’s largest celebration of trails and the outdoors! Carolina Thread Trail is spreading the National Trails Day fun across North and South Carolina with 15 FREE guided outdoor programs across 15 counties. Programs start as early as 8:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day. Registration requested. Presented by Duke Energy.
JUNE 28: “Carolina Farm Feast,” 6-9 p.m., CFT Market, 511 S. Hoskins Road, Charlotte. A unique farm-to-table event featuring regional North and South Carolina produce. Friends, supporters, partners and foodies will come together for one of the most unifying human experiences: a meal. $100.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Paul Simon to close women’s store: Longtime Charlotte retailer Paul Simon Co. is closing its women’s store after 30 years. The store at the Village at SouthPark will be converted into a store selling lifestyle brand Johnnie-O’s. The women’s store, founded by Marcia Simon in 1996, will close July 31. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
House party shooting: One person was killed and 11 were injured in a shooting at a house party early Sunday morning outside Hickory, an hour northwest of Charlotte. Authorities said at least 80 shots were fired. (Associated Press)
The Pearl opens: Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology are today celebrating the opening of The Pearl, the medical education and research campus, in the Midtown/Dilworth area. It includes Charlotte’s first four-year medical school and the North American headquarters of IRCAD, a surgical training network.
Enrollment surge at community colleges: Spring enrollment in two-year colleges in North Carolina rose this year by 8.3%, or about 16,000 students, compared with 2024, according to a new report. That’s a higher increase than the national average of 5.4%. (EdNC)
School security tests: Monroe police officers are disguising themselves as students and staff to test school security in Union County, and in every instance, they've been able to enter buildings undetected. (WSOC)
Latino businesses say sales are dropping over immigration enforcement fears: Some Latino business owners say business is down because their customers fear going out in public because of stepped-up immigration enforcement. An east Charlotte bakery says big orders have dropped, and a massage therapist says clients are increasingly asking for in-home massages instead of services at the office. (WFAE)
Takeout boom: Charlotte restaurateur Frank Scibelli says takeout business is booming, with to-go orders accounting for 32% of sales at Midwood Smokehouse, 30% at Yafo Kitchen, 30% at Mama Ricotta’s and 25% at Paco’s Tacos. The increases are leading to changes in pickup windows, packaging and parking, he said. (Tiny Money)
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