Dearborn’s outdoor pool season is just around the corner, and residents can prepare by purchasing swim tags and registering for swimming lessons at the service desk of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, beginning April 1.

Seven types of swim tags, good for admittance to Dearborn’s six outdoor pools this summer, are available.

Infants (under age two) are free.

Preschool, $15. Parents must present a copy of the child’s birth certificate and proof of residency.

Youth (ages 17 and under), $35. Must present school-issued ID card.

Adult (ages 18-59), $45. Must present proof of residency.

Senior (ages 60 and over), $35. Must present proof of residency.

Family (both parents and all children under the age of 18), $100. Proof of residency for parents and birth certificate(s) for children are required.

Non-Resident, $80

Pool tags must be sewn on swim suits prior to admittance.

Swim lessons, conducted Monday through Thursday in two-week sessions, feature instruction at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels and run for 30 minutes. Make-up lessons, if necessary, are held on Fridays.

Sessions offered at Dunworth Pool run June 17-27, July 1-11 (lessons July 5, but not July 4), July 15-25 and July 29-August 8.

Sessions offered at the city’s other five outdoor pools run June 17-27, July 1-11 (lessons July 5, but not July 4) and July 15-25.

Cost: $50 for Dearborn residents and $60 for non-residents. Non-resident registration begins June 3. All participants must also purchase a swim tag.

The service desk is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For further information, call 943-2350.

The Dearborn Board of Education is seeking community input in regards to placing a $76 million bond proposal on either the August 6, 2013 Primary Ballot or the November 5, 2013 General Election Ballot.

Anyone interested in sharing their opinion can take part in a quick and easy survey by visiting the district website, www.dearbornschools.org, and clicking on the link located on the home page. No personal information will be collected by the survey.

“Although this is a non-scientific poll it will provide the Board with one more way of gathering input from the community about the two election dates,” said Dearborn schools spokesman David Mustonen.

At the March 11, 2013 Board of Education meeting the administration presented a proposal for a $76 million bond that would provide funding for Security, Modifications, Additions, Remodeling, Technology, and Transportation. The bond is being called the S.M.A.R.T. Bond, an acronym for the projects included in the proposal.

The district has 19,100 students with more than 6,200 of them added during the last 26 consecutive years of enrollment gains. A need to provide additional security, increased student numbers, an aging inventory of buildings (35 total with 23 ranging from 50 to 90 years old), state required on-line testing, an aging fleet of buses, and an 8.1 percent decline in funding from the state over the last five years have all contributed to the need for the district to seek a voter approved bond.

Community members can find out more information, leave comments, ask questions, and engage in a constructive dialogue at a special website dedicated to providing information only on the 2013 S.M.A.R.T. Bond, by clicking HERE. 

A voter approved bond project would not increase the current 5.81 mill rate taxpayers are currently paying due to the retirement of existing bond debt.