Major Contributions for Goodman Pool Continue to Pour In

Madison – Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said today that major contributions for the Goodman Pool project are continuing to pour in. Madison’s first municipal pool is scheduled to open this summer, after some 60 years of discussion and debate. The new gifts announced by Cieslewicz today are: o A $50,000 gift from the Evjue Foundation, bringing their total contribution to $150,000. o A $50,000 gift from American Family Insurance, bringing their total contribution to $150,000. o Landscaping, plants, trees and planting services valued at $22,000 from Herman Landscape Service and McKay Nursery. “This project continues to be an example of the city working in partnership with private and non-profit institutions, as well as individual residents, to achieve this civic dream,” said Cieslewicz. “Spurred on by the incredible generosity of the Goodman brothers, there has been an outpouring of support for this project. When the Goodman Pool opens this summer, Madisonians from all walks of life will be able to take a refreshing dip and escape the summer heat ... hard as that is to imagine at this time of year.” Over 75% of the funding for the Goodman Pool is from non-city sources. To date, $3.79 million has been donated or pledged from these sources. The size of these donations ranges from the Goodman Brothers’ $2.69 million gift to donations from private citizens of just a dollar or two. An additional $1.26 million in city capital funding is also being invested in the project. “Mr. Evjue was long a supporter of Madison children, and there is no better way to honor his memory than by making this pool a reality,” said John H. Lussier, President of the Evjue Foundation, Inc. “American Family Insurance is pleased to provide an additional gift to this important community project,” said David R. Anderson, president and chief operating officer. “These new contributions and the continued generosity of Madison residents and businesses ensure the successful completion of a quality facility for all.” “The City of Madison has been our customer for at least 30 years,” said Jerry Draeger, President of the employee-owned McKay Nursery. “We’ve enjoyed supplying street trees to the community for all those years. It’s been a wonderful relationship, and we felt this would be a great opportunity for us to give back to the community.” To ensure that access to the Goodman Pool is affordable for all Madison families, funds also continue to be solicited for a variety of scholarship programs. The Madison Parks Foundation has raised approximately $76,000 for these scholarships. In addition, a fund has been established honoring the memory of Shelley Glover, a Madison young person, avid swimmer and member of the US Ski Team who died in a tragic skiing accident in 2004. The fund, created by Shelley’s parents, aims to build a $500,000 endowment to provide swimming lessons, life guard training and a swimming team at the Goodman Pool. More information about the fund is available at www.shelleyglover.com.