Much praise should be heaped upon the Grant Capital Management Company for their generous donation that will keep at least one public pool open ("Still in the swim," Editorial, Aug. 11).

It is unbelievable that a city that boasts not one, but two stadiums, can't keep their public pools open during what has been a record breaking hot summer. Why bother to have pools if we don't keep them open? Couldn't the city planners have had some foresight to this problem before August?

When children have no school and then have no place for recreation, that's when they get into trouble. A swimming pool is a great place for children and that is precisely why the owner of Grant Capital decided he wanted to keep the Druid Hill Park swimming pool open.

Now, if the city fathers could convince our highly over-paid Orioles and Ravens to be a little philanthropic to a city that supports them, we could have all 42 pools reopened. Then maybe they would be worthy of the adoration of the hundreds of children who are their fans; the very same children who have no place to swim this summer.

Celebrities are generous when there are hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes all over the world. How about a little help in their own backyard?

Barbara Blumberg, Baltimore