KAPAA — Dale Ching went swimming at Kapaa pool twice on Tuesday.
She wasn’t planning on doing that, but she ran into a friend at the post office and discovered the public swimming pool that’s been closed since June 29 was open again.
“I was so happy. I said, ‘you know, I’m going down there’, and I had it all to myself this morning,” Ching said Tuesday afternoon as she watched her grandson Joseph Contrades jump into the pool. “This is my second time here today.”
The pair are regulars at the Kapaa pool, one of two county public pools on Kauai. When the motor and pump at the pool burned out, it was closed for repairs and regulars had to find somewhere else to splash around.
“Our alternative was to swim at Lydgate,” Ching said. “We were sad when they closed it.”
Jeremy Haupt, Kauai County’s aquatic supervisor, said many of the people who frequent the pool are looking for that quiet, safe place to get into the water.
Closing one of the two public pools for any length of time would impact the people who visit daily, but it was a major part that broke. Haupt says they were lucky to get the pool fixed in as short of a timeframe as they did.
“The pump and motor, that’s the heart of the whole thing. It circulates the water,” Haupt said.
The cost to replace the motor was $6,700, said Patrick Porter, director of parks and recreation.
The pool was closed on June 29 and reopened July 23. During this closure, Kauai High School allowed use of their pool for youth swimming classes.
During the closure, Waimea swimming pool had a 24-hour closure as well due to feces in the water and the cleaning protocol following discovery. The pool closed June 9 and reopened June 10.
Overall, the summer has been a busy one for the public pools on Kauai. Haupt said during the first two weeks in July the Waimea pool welcomed 1,300 people.
“In the last two or three years, we’re seeing a lot more visitors,” Haupt said. “It’s super popular. We have different kinds of users.”
He suggested social media could potentially be a reason for the uptick in use, but the safe swimming conditions and constant presence of lifeguards makes it a good spot for anyone to strengthen their swimming skills.
Ching said she’s taking advantage of the pool for multiple reasons. It’s a quiet place to swim laps and exercise, as well as lower your risk for things like diabetes. It’s also physical therapy.
“I’ve had knee surgery and the doctor said this would help,” Ching said. “It does.”
