It’s hot and Sacramento public pools are closed. Here’s the plan for when they reopen
Every summer, Sacramento’s aquatic centers brim with children and families looking for a break from the intense heat. Temperatures reaching 100 degrees are expected next week, but the pools will look and feel different this year — if and when they open.
Like other recreational activities, park directors are looking for ways to impose the same kind of social distancing now common at grocery stores and parks. That means no free-for-all frolicking allowed, and programs may be limited to swim lessons.
As California slowly unwinds its stay-at-home order, businesses are reopening with modified operations, screening temperatures and requiring masks outside of the water, among other things. All pools are still closed due to the threat of COVID-19 and will remain so during Memorial Day weekend.
But operators in the Sacramento region are already thinking about what reopening pools, splash pads and other aquatic venues could look like. The consensus so far is that other than health and fitness activities, like laps, swim lessons and aerobics, everything else could be scrapped.
No cannonballs or water slides; and no diving or games of Marco Polo.
“I don’t want to say it’s out of the picture,” said Mike Dopson, parks and recreation director for the Cosumnes Community Services District. “(But) from a realistic standpoint, I don’t know how you get a group of kids together, put them in a pool and tell them all, ‘Hey, you need to stay six feet away from each other.’ ”
The apprehension is shared by other public pool operators in Auburn, Folsom, West Sacramento and Roseville.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended staggering the use of communal spaces in and out of the water and still suggests staying at least six feet apart. The federal agency is offering guidance but the decisions largely reside with state and local public health authorities.
The most recent advice from the CDC’s website said earlier this week that there was little risk of transmission in properly maintained pools. “There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas or water play areas,” the website said.
The focus should be on people, the agency said.
Dopson, who oversees facilities in south Sacramento County, said several pool operators have formed a task force to discuss protocols with the Sacramento County Department of Health Services to get a sense of what can be opened. They’re focusing on what they can control, he said.
“We want to start with the things that we know we can accomplish the physical distancing standards with,” Dopson said. “Outside of fitness, that becomes a challenge and a lot of that will be determined by what the health order states.”
Pools are one of the high-risk workplaces that fall in stage three of the state’s plan to ease restrictions put in place by stay-at-home orders. As of Thursday, California remained in stage two, which allows curbside pickup for retailers and dine-in service for restaurants.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state could be a “few weeks” away from the next stage, which would officially allow barbers and hairdressers to return to work, along with other workers in personal care and recreation services.
Even when they reopen, some don’t expect things to snap back into place like a light switch.
“There is probably no way you can guarantee 100 percent physical distancing the whole time but we’re going to do our best,” said Pam Allen, a spokesperson for the city of Roseville. “I don’t know if people are going to want to bring their kids to swim lessons even if we put in these best practices to minimize the lack of physical distancing.”
‘Pools are black hole you throw money into’
The shutdown will also come at a cost for the cities and park districts that operate pools.
Typically open year-round, public pools require expensive upkeep and they don’t always make a lot of money. The membership fees and swim lessons are one of the few ways to pull in revenue.
The Steve Miklos Aquatic Center in Folsom, which closed on March 17, has lost an estimated $200,000 in revenue from canceled aquatics meets, school field trips, swim camps and lessons, said Christine Brainerd, a spokesperson for the city. The shortfall could grow to as much as $700,000 by the end of July.
Kahl Muscott, the administrator for the Auburn Area Recreation & Park District, said the district’s board will soon meet to discuss whether they should open the pool at all, which could save them about $27,000.
“The pools are black hole you throw money into,” Muscott said. “A lot of the things we do aren’t expected to make money. The point where we’re at now with our budget being hit the way it is, we have to start looking at all options.”
The Auburn pool operation is already subsidized by the district. Like everybody else in this industry, Muscott said they’re waiting for direction or some great idea for how to carry out public swim.
He’s still trying to figure the rest out.
“At this point, we are planning to try and open our swimming pool this summer, but we’ll be pretty limited in what we’re going to offer,” he said, listing lap swimming and water aerobics as two of the limited activities. “Those are things that we think we can carry out pretty easily and maintain social distancing and all other requirements.”
Dopson, director of the Cosumnes district, which operates three pools and several water playgrounds, said their revenue could decline by as much as $750,000. The special district oversees parks and fire services for the cities of Elk Grove and Galt.
“For most public pool operators in the county and the state, we’re all going to take a big hit,” Dopson said. “Swim lessons, open swim, recreational swim usually make up a large amount of revenue whether you operate year-round or seasonally.”