The Moscow City Council will likely decide Monday to either keep the Hamilton-Lowe Aquatics Center closed for the season or possibly open just the lap swimming pool.
The aquatics center was scheduled to open July 1 with limited services and safety protocols to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but the opening was delayed until further notice because of the increase in local and statewide coronavirus cases and the difficulty in wearing masks at the HLAC.
Moscow Parks and Recreation Director Dwight Curtis told the Moscow City Council Public Works/Finance Committee Monday that his recommendation — as it was June 1 — is to keep the pool closed for the season, which would be more than halfway complete if not for the pandemic forcing its closure.
Curtis said difficulties of social distancing, wearing face masks and sanitizing at the facility; imported contagion risks and the local surge in coronavirus cases; and the lack of lifeguards were reasons for his recommendation.
“With all of the restrictions, if we did open, you’d have quite an eroded enjoyment factor with that,” Curtis said.
He said the University of Idaho Swim Center is open to accommodate those who want to lap swim.
Curtis said as of the end of last week, 42 percent of outdoor aquatics facilities and 52 percent of splash pads nationwide have remained closed.
Just as he provided the alternative option to open July 1 at the June 1 city council meeting, Curtis provided a secondary option Monday if the council wants to open the facility in some capacity.
Curtis said the alternative includes opening the lap pool July 22 to Sept. 4 and keeping the activity pool — where the slides are located — closed.
The lap pool could be open in one-hour blocks for seven days a week, he said. It would cost $3 to enter the facility.
Curtis said surfaces would be regularly cleaned and the locker rooms and concessions would be closed. A pool manager would oversee the coronavirus safety operations and the two family changing rooms would be open.
He said social distancing would be enforced outside the water as much as possible and face coverings would be required outside the water.
“The alternative in itself I think is very reasonable but it does not erase the COVID issue,” Curtis said. “That is still there. Granted not nearly as severe as if we opened up the entire facility, but it’s still there.”
City Councilor Art Bettge, who sits on the Public Works/Finance Committee, said he read studies indicating chlorine in pools does an excellent job killing the virus.
“When people are in the water, they’re actually pretty safe,” Bettge said. “The critical time is when they’re out and with the masks, with the few people, I think we’re probably in good shape and I would support opening the pool for lap swim slash dedicated swimming.”
Members of the Public Works/Finance Committee expressed concern for the hired lifeguards who expected to work at the pool this summer but will potentially not work there at all.
Curtis said he has and will continue to discuss scenarios with City Supervisor Gary Riedner to help the lifeguards. Curtis said the city will likely — at minimum — reimburse them for lifeguard certification costs.
The city council meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall and can also be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
In other business, city officials provided updates to notable construction projects in the city.
They said the West A Street reconstruction project is expected to be completed at the end of October; reconstruction on Almon Street from A to Third streets and First Street from Almon to Jackson streets is expected to be completed in early August; and construction of the new police station on the south end of town is on target to be finished next June or July.
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.
