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U.K. Olympic triathlon team used shuttered city pool

Pandemic closure at Salvador Perez came amid $2.48 million in renovations

By Sean P. Thomas sthomas@sfnewmexican.com

The city of Santa Fe decided in December to keep the Salvador Perez Recreation Center and pool closed to the public amid rising coronavirus concerns.

But in recent weeks, one group was allowed to use the center off Alta Vista Street.

The United Kingdom Olympic triathlon team used the center and its pool for training for four weeks, the city confirmed Thursday. The team, which left Friday, held 90-minute training sessions five times a week.

Salvador Perez underwent $2.48 million in renovations that wrapped up in September but hasn’t opened for guests since the project’s completion. The city originally intended to open the pool in October but dropped the plan as COVID-19 case counts continued to rise.

City spokesman Dave Herndon said the triathlon team was allowed to use the facility, while the public was not, because of a scheduling conflict at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center.

The U.K. team had intended to use the Chavez Center pool, Herndon said, but that facility was being used by school swim teams through the New Mexico Activities Association, pushing the triathletes to Salvador Perez.

District 2 City Councilor Michael Garcia, whose district includes the pool, said he was not aware of the plan to open Salvador Perez to the U.K. team and began to question city staff about the decision. He added he was very concerned the pool was offered for the group’s private use while it was closed to the public.

“I fully want to understand why we haven’t begun a plan to open up the facility,” he said. “The general public has been anticipating the center to open, and I as well have been eager for the center to be open.”

Mayor Alan Webber did not respond to a request for an interview on the issue.

District 2 Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth said Friday she also was unaware of the pool’s use by the visiting team, but she said it seemed like a good idea for the team’s training there to serve as a sort of “soft opening” for the pool.

“We are balancing a number of difference issues,” Romero-Wirth said. “They paid for the use of the pool and they are supporting the economy while they are here, and that sends a good message out to the athletic community about Santa Fe as a training center, which helps us economically.”

Romero-Wirth said the team didn’t require the same level of supervision as the public, and the city didn’t have the employee capacity to open the pool to the public.

She added that in a normal time, “we might have done things differently.”

Herndon said the Salvador Perez pool is ready to be opened to the public, but whether that will happen depends in part on the outlook for opening Bicentennial Pool, the city’s only outdoor pool. A series of problems at Bicentennial could scuttle its opening this summer.

The 45-year-old outdoor pool is leaking about 500,000 gallons of water a month, leading to repairs to its plumbing and inlets. Herndon said those repairs are expected to be completed by May 15, while gutter repairs are expected to take at least six months.

The city, which also operates a pool at the Fort Marcy Recreation Complex, has the capacity to open only three pools, Herndon said, though “it’s possible that staff can be added in fiscal year ’22,” to increase capacity.

He wrote in an email that the Public Works Department has known about Bicentennial Pool’s problems since February.

Estimates and options for repairs are expected to come before the City Council on Wednesday, he wrote.

Romero-Wirth said the city will have to make a decision on whether to open Salvador Perez or Bicentennial Pool.

“Obviously, I want to see us get all our pools open, but we are still coming out of this global pandemic and we only have the capacity to open two pools right now,” Romero-Wirth said. “Apparently, we are now in the position to open a third pool. Now there is a question to open Salvador Perez or Bicentennial.”

Garcia contended if there are enough staff members to open three pools, Salvador Perez should be one of them, and the city should keep Bicentennial closed for repairs.

“I understand the community wants to have an outdoor public pool,” Garcia said. “But we also need to ensure that the pool is safe. If renovations are needed to be made, then let’s make them so we can enjoy Bicentennial for another 50 to 75 years.”

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2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://enewmexican.com/article/281543703798955

Santa Fe New Mexican