A Vent About My Local Pool
 

I'm getting a little fed up with my pool. It's the only one in town, and swimming is 90% of my exercise. This is just a little rant. Don't mind me. :cool:


The desk posts a seasonal schedule that you can pick up that outlines the times for lane swim (when I usually go - its for laps, exercise etc), public swim, classes, lessons etc, and they have an automated line that you can call that tells you the schedule for the day, but they don't update it online or post it anywhere else. Usually I double check if I'm going at a time I don't usually go at or if it's a holiday, but twice this week I've been blindsided. Mondays to Fridays us lane swimmers get a 6-9 am slot, but after that we get a 1 hour window at noon and a 1 hour window at five Mondays and Tuesdays. I go in the morning when I can, but working full time sometimes it just isn't possible.

The city has said a million times that they cannot justify opening the pool before 12pm on Saturdays and Sundays. So when I got there at noon Sunday, I and all the other lane swimmers ended up waiting until 12:18 to get into the pool, because they had booked a birthday party (Apparently they can get lifeguards for that on weekend mornings), and the parents would not clear out, and the lifeguards didn't show any sign of caring whether they did or not! Then, at 12:45 people for public swim started swarming in and getting in the way of the lanes. They weren't supposed to have access until 1 pm. I complained at the desk and got total apathy.

Then today, I wasn't aware there was no school and wasn't expecting anything different on a Monday, so I went at noon without calling the info line. Well there was no lane swim, just public swim, swarming with kids. I checked at the desk and they had made the pool public for the entire day, and had even cut the morning lane time down to one hour. No notice no posters no nothing. Oh, except for the ones they faxed to the school. We have to swipe in at the desk every day. Wouldn't it make sense for those of us that come every day to have a heads up???

It's bad enough that my $550 yearly fee doesn't protect me from douchy rig pig gym rats that come in to use the steam room and make pig noises when I walk by, or from having to share a change room with the synchro kids, who may be the most self important, spoiled little brats who walk the face of the earth, and get the evil eye from their parents because I didn't leave the pool 15 minutes early so they could get in early.

This (and the 90 year old guy that likes to walk slooowwwlly across the lanes in the morning when I'm doing laps) is seriously messing with my exercise zen!

Ugh! Vent away!! Congratulations on your ability to remain diligent despite all of that.

Just wandering by and had to LOL at yourWith that skill I hope you're writing a novel on the side.

By-the-by, my gym closes the pool . . . whenever. Just because. Under the new management, if the person to check the chlorine level isn't available twice a day, they close.

Good luck getting your slots.

That sucks. I love lap swim, and never saw the point in "open swim". It's too bad it's your only option. The best place I ever swam at was on base- I had a friend who was military and would take me. The focus there was on fitness, not fun, and lap swim was standard. Generally it was empty enough to get a lane to myself, too.

I'm sorry, that sucks! :(

Considering how much you and others pay to be able to use the facility it seems there should be a manager that you can speak to, as a group (there is an advantage to numbers when trying to make a change). Our pool has a policy that kids parties can only happen during open/free swim hours so that it doesn't interfere with lap swim. If this is a city owned/public pool there has to be a forum for expressing criticism. there is also a zero tolerance rule at our pool about verbal/physical abuse, first violation is a 30-day suspension, second is 60, third is 90 and any violation after that is a permanent trespass from the facility.

That is crap. :( Even with no school for the kids, I don't see why they should change the schedule. I have kids....we can still go at the allotted times for free swim!

Sorry you are dealing with this, Jane. That's a lot of money to deal with the b.s. plus the apathy from the front desk.

And anyone making pig noises at me would be looking for a dentist that afternoon (and I'd need my Triple A card to post bail!). :nono: Totally unacceptable, I am sorry you have to put up with that.:hug:

You are a paying customer, you have every right to voice your concerns and be heard! I agree with ghost, get a group together and go higher up on the "chain of command" since the front desk did nothing!

Suckiness :-(

That's not even my best insult :D

Mine does that too. Got there last Wednesday to find it closed. They also like to forget to turn on the steam room.


The biggest issue right now is that there is no leisure services manager for the city at the moment. We're booming and staffing is a nightmare everywhere. I did however write into the "cheers & jeers" section of the paper, and I posted on the city hall Facebook page along with many others. That sort of publicity usually gets some attention. Talking to the staff just gets you eyerolls.

I considered beating them into pulp, but I satisfied myself with accidentally knocking their towels (which are supposed to stay in the change room) into the hot tub.

I'm so sorry you are dealing with all of these frustrations - I hope that the public complaints you've been doing help get some attention on this and get it fixed!

Totally keep it up with the newspaper/facebook page. That stuff gets attention, so hopefully something will be done.

Oh and if you want to shame them more add something about how people are trying to get healthy but how are they supposed to do that when the pool isn't open on a regular schedule?

Sounds like terrible pool management! And makes me even MORE grateful for the new LA Fitness Signature Club which opened up near me last fall, with a very nice lap pool, beautiful locker room and private showers.

Is there some type of fitness center near you that you could join instead of the pool? I have found it to be a far more preferable atmosphere... plus no one under 17 is allowed in the pool.

Nope, not within two hours unfortunately. :(