PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KOAA) — Diving into the pool to cool off on a hot summer day, is not an option this year at the Pueblo West Pool. According to the Pueblo West Metropolitan District, the Pueblo West Pool will not open this summer.
Families looking to stay cool will have to find a different option. For some, it is visiting the Pueblo West Splash Park at Civic Center Park. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., kids can run through the small water park.
“The kids get a chance to just act wild, be crazy, no one cares that they get wet, it's casual,” said Renee Koehler.
Koehler was looking forward to taking her grandson to the pool to fight off the heat.
“I was very disappointed to find out that it was not going to open this year,” said Koehler. “So, we were really glad to find out the splash pad was going to open.”
The water playground is free and open everyday.
“They can have fun with other kids in the summer instead of being isolated at home,” said Koehler.
The Director of Pueblo West Parks and Recreation, Carol Cosby, also recommends going to Lake Pueblo State Park to swim, visiting the indoor pool at the YMCA of Pueblo or driving to other public outdoor pools in the City of Pueblo.
Cosby said the Pueblo West Pool had to close for the summer because of mechanical issues with the pool's pump and motor.
“There's air coming through the line with debris which is getting to our pump and motor, which has shut that down,” said Cosby. “Without the circulation, (it) means there's no chemicals being fed into that pool. So, it's cloudy and it's not safe for people to use.”
The pool is 53 years old and the lines are 25 years old. Cosby said the years of wear and tear caused issues with the water lines below the pool deck.
“We made a decision, a team of us did, and we decided to close the pool down for this summer,” said Cosby.
She said on a typical summer day, 100 kids will visit the pool, which costs thousands of dollars.
“Well, when we have swim lessons in open swim, it's usually our revenue is about $30,000 to run it. It runs from $90 (thousand) to $115,000 on expenses,” said Cosby.
One of those expenses being staff salary, but with no pool means no jobs available.
“You know, it's disappointing to our community, but we had 16 staff members as well and it is disappointing for me to tell them, 'Hey, you don't have a job for the summer.' ...They're all kids. So, we've reached out to other places to see if maybe they could be employed there as well,” said Cosby.
She said they don't know how much it will cost to fix the pool, but she said the plan is to fix it and reopen the pool, it just won't be this summer.
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