The warm water leisure pool at Petersburg’s community center is open again. The pool and gym facility were both closed for annual maintenance in late May. During that break staff discovered leaks in the smaller of the two pools at the aquatic center, and the solution was to repaint it as a short-term fix.
The leisure pool is open during Parent/Tot Swim and Open Swim, and the waterslide is turned on during Open Swim. For more information call the Community Center at 907-772-3392.
Katherine Monahan spoke with Scott Burt, the aquatic supervisor, about what it took to get the leisure pool back open.
SCOTT BURT: The leisure pool is back open. We had to shut down during our normal facility closure. We do every year. And in the process of that shutdown we identified some potential issues. We had a leak and so we figured out what the problem was, and decided to go ahead and apply a fresh coat of paint. And, you know, in this day and age, it takes forever to get some supplies. So it took a while for it to get here.
We got the paint here. It got it painted. It had to cure. And of course, you know, you have to add the water, heat it up, get all the chemicals. So it took a while. It’s so good to see families in there right now with their kids, and we had a super active open swim last night.
So a lot of people are enjoying it. It makes me happy to see it being used again. And I sure appreciate the community’s patience while we fixed our problems, because I know it’s a popular pool.
KATHERINE MONAHAN: How long did it take?
SCOTT BURT: It was early June when we tried to start getting our hands on the supplies we needed and it took a couple of weeks to locate it. And then a couple of other weeks to get it shipped and barged here. It just took a while. And then the labor of painting it and then the weeklong wait letting the paint cure.
So it’s been a long process, you know? It’s been difficult for all of us because we hate not being able to have the pull open for the public. So it’s a huge relief to have it back in action.
KATHERINE MONAHAN: Were people asking about it meanwhile?
SCOTT BURT: Oh yeah. Yeah. And then, you know, they’re asking, when is it gonna be open? We could give them rough guidelines. But it was difficult to nail down an exact date until the supplies got here, you know, and until the paint arrived, we just didn’t know. And they’ve been very patient, very, very patient and I’m thankful for that.
KATHERINE MONAHAN: And what’s the response?
SCOTT BURT: Oh, the response is positive. In fact we’re having parent/tot swim now. And one of the couples that came in, they were all smiles and said, “Are we ready to get back in the pool?”
The feedback on the color has been good. It’s this pretty blue; I think it’s called Pacific blue. If I remember right. But feedback has been good and people are enjoying it. They’re very happy to be back.
