With just over a week until the pool opens for the 2024 season, there are a few things the board wants you to know:

Pool Facility Improvements:
We are installing a new playset and swing set in the small space by the "baby pool". The playset will be installed next week, as will the swing set frame, but the swings themselves will wait for a couple weeks, when we’ll be covering the entire area with a natural wood carpet which should offer protection against the inevitable falls without the risk of splinters/slivers.   Please be patient as we get the swings and carpet installed, and remember that the small playground is for children age 7 and under. Older kids caught using the “little kids” playground will lose pool access privileges for a day or two, and repeat violations will result in longer suspensions. So keep an eye on your kids, please!

We have received two ADA-compliant picnic tables, and they’ll be assembled and placed by the “baby pool” and near the grilling area by the snack bar. These picnic tables are not “reserved” – any member can use them.   Of course, if you’re using one and you see another member who NEEDS to use it, please yield it as graciously as you can.

We have replaced the small diving board with a new 1/2 meter stand and an identical board to the one on our 1-meter stand.   This gives us a ready "spare" board and lets new divers get used to the "bounciness" of a longer board and how to do a three-step approach while being close to the water.   Because the pool deck slopes to permit drainage, it’s a big step up to the new board, and we’ll have a new set of stairs added. There are no handrails though, so please be careful and use the steps to mount the board. The normal rules (only one person on the board at a time, only one bounce, don't let the board touch the water, etc.) apply to the new board. Because the board is long and it’s lower to the water, it can be easy to depress the tip of the board to reach the surface of the water.   Be careful about this.   The guards will be paying close attention, and if they tell you that you let the board touch the water you’re going to want to be less bouncy or limit your activities to the higher board.   The new board will be removed for adult late nights and for swim meets.

Team practice schedules:
The dive team will have its practices in the morning from 1100-1300 on weekdays. The bad news is that there will be no lap swimming until 1300. The GOOD news is that there’s no evening dive practice, so the dive well can be available to all members and lap swimming can be possible in the evenings when there isn’t an actual dive meet taking place.

Snack bar:
Jenay is doing a great job getting the snack bar started, and this year we will be taking credit/debit cards as well as cash.   There will likely be a $5 minimum purchase to use a card.   Our experiment with Venmo last year was not-so-good, so we won’t be accepting payment via Venmo this year.

Party Reservations:
In the next week or so we’ll pass along information on how you can use the MemberSplash system to reserve space for a private party. This will eliminate the paper process and some of the confusion and “lost” reservations we’ve had in the past. If you have already made a reservation request, we will ask that you re-request that reservation when this part of Member Splash is up and running. The Pool Administrator will reach out to you directly if this applies to you.

Side Lot Courts:
As the pool opens, we need to be concerned about how many people are on the pool deck, since we have a limit of 248. The side lot courts are NOT part of the pool deck, so we want to set the following guidelines pertaining to when folks can move between the side lot courts and the pool deck:
If you’re coming to the pool to swim (wearing swim gear), you must check in through the desk in the center of the clubhouse. If you want to walk from the pool club to the side lot courts for a bit, you can do that to play one game. But remember, while you’re playing in the side lot, someone ELSE might be waiting to use the pool! So don’t spend a lot of time on the side lot, particularly on busy days. Check out of the pool and walk around to enter the pickleball court from the streetside gate.
If you’re coming to play pickleball (no swim gear), continue to use the streetside gate, and you don’t need to check in through the clubhouse. If you need to use a restroom, you can do this, but be sure to go right back to the side lot. If you decide you want to swim, walk around and check in through the clubhouse.

We’re trusting everyone to use some common sense and follow the guidelines. We’ll be doing some informal monitoring of things as we don’t want to have a county inspector show up and do a count and find that we’re exceeding our deck capacity.   If it turns out that we CAN’T follow the guidelines, we will end up having to keep the gates between the pool facilities and the side lot courts closed, and folks will have to take the long walk to use the bathrooms, and parents may have to walk their kids from the pool to the side lot courts. We WILL close the gates between the pool and side lots on opening and closing weekend and on the 4th of July, since those are the days when the pool deck is typically "full".
The side lot courts WILL be closed when we have home swim and dive meets (see our calendar for the dates and times). These events require quiet so that the athletes can focus. It’s much like golf that way.   Swim and dive team leadership will probably move the nets to the edge of the courts and remind anyone on the courts that they’re closed for the duration of the meet.

Finally, the board has become aware that some folks are using a stick to unlock the gate rather than entering the code to access the side lot courts.   We’re going to change the handset to prevent this, but we want all members to be alert – if you see folks on the side lots that you don’t know, ask them if they’re members. If they’re not members (or guests with a member), then they’re trespassing, and you shouldn’t hesitate to call the police non-emergency number to report them. We need to make the effort to prevent trespassing, both to reduce our liability, and to maintain the value of a club membership.

Opening Weekend:
As always, there are NO guests permitted during our first weekend (5/25 - 5/27). The pool is usually "full" on opening weekend, so you should expect a line to enter. Be patient and courteous while you're in line, and when you are using the pool, remember your fellow members who may be waiting, and head out when you've had enough "pool time".

The Guards will be conducting SwimSafe tests for kids under 13 during the breaks.   Please remember that if you have a young child (7 or under) who is not yet a swimmer, you need to be IN THE WATER within an arm's length with the child in the main pool