Moratorium on pools considered
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The new Makiki public swimming pool opened with much fanfare in November, but a lack of money to properly staff and maintain the $2.3 million facility means it is open less than three hours a day on weekdays and four hours a day on weekends.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
Makiki is the first public pool built by the city in 22 years, but it isn't alone in its limited operating hours. Across O'ahu, similar, smaller pools including 'Aiea Pool, Kapaolono Pool in Kaimuki and Booth Pool in Honolulu, are open only about three hours a day.
Limited money for staffing and maintenance allows the public pool at Makiki District Park to operate only a few hours a day. The pool opened in November.
The larger, 50-meter pools, such as Manoa, Palolo or Kailua, are open six to eight hours weekdays.
Now, spurred by concerns over the Makiki situation, the City Council's Budget Committee wants a three-year moratorium on financing any new swimming pools, saying the city cannot afford to run the pools it already has.
"It doesn't make sense to put in a pool if they are just going to keep it open for just those few hours," said City Council budget chairwoman Ann Kobayashi. "When a pool goes in, we should plan ahead and see that we have the money to operate and maintain it."
The Makiki pool is open for lap swimming weekdays except Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and for free swimming from 3:30 to 5 p.m. weekdays — just two hours and 45 minutes a day. The pool is also open from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Besides its main 25-meter pool, Makiki also has a small keiki pool. But limited lifeguard staffing means that sometimes both cannot be operated at the same time.
The city has 19 public swimming pools for its 876,000 residents, with four more facilities in development and a 50-meter pool in Salt Lake nearing completion and expected to open in June. Hours for that pool have not been set. Besides their posted public hours, some pools hold special classes or activities not open to the public.
A resolution introduced in committee April 5 by Councilman Gary Okino would trim from the Harris administration's budget millions of dollars designated for planning and designing swimming pools in Kahuku, Koko Head, Lanakila and Wai'anae.
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According to the resolution, it costs between $7 million and $10 million to build a 50-meter pool and the administration is asking for $8.5 million this fiscal year for the four pools now in various stages of development.
City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said the city may have to consider charging fees.
"When we do things, we have to plan on how much it is going to cost, not just the initial costs, but the operation and maintenance," Kobayashi said. "It's about $250,000 a year to staff and maintain a pool. The Makiki pool was just opened, and it is open less than three hours a day because that is all the maintenance we can afford."
The council resolution asks the city to prepare an islandwide master plan for the construction and location of new city pools. The resolution asks that each pool project be prioritized; that the costs for construction, operation and maintenance be anticipated; and that the average hours of operation per day for each pool be set.
The city of San Diego operates 13 permanent swimming pools for its 1.2 million residents, and all are open eight hours a day, 14 in the summer, said Carol Drummond, public information officer for the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department.
Admission to Honolulu's city and county pools is free, but San Diego charges a fee. Adults pay $2; seniors and children under 15 pay $1.50.
"It's very affordable," Drummond said. "The funds go into general fund for the parks department and pays to keep things going here, including pool maintenance and lifeguards."
Kobayashi said charging fees is something the City Council may have to consider, but she would rather use volunteers to support pool operations or have swim teams help support pools with fund-raisers. For example, the Manoa Aquatics swim club provides money to pay for the hot water used at Manoa Pool, Kobayashi said.
"(The moratorium) is not going to be forever," Kobayashi said. "We just want to get a handle on the budget, pay our bills and stop the spending that is not needed. We have to get back to the basic mission of the city — health and public safety. Let's make sure we do that first before other things. Pools are nice to have, but very expensive."
Kobayashi said if she can't cut city expenses there is a real possibility that property taxes or sewer fees will have to be raised.
City Managing Director Ben Lee did not return calls to discuss the administration's views on the pool moratorium or the operating hours for pools.
The city's public pools are scattered across the island, but none is in the fast-growing West O'ahu region of Kapolei. However, the city has long-range plans for an Olympic-sized pool in the third phase of the Central O'ahu Regional Park in Waipi'o for those residents.
Ken Suenaga, vice chairman of the Hawaii Local Swimming Committee, a group that organizes swimming competitions across the state, said pools are desperately needed because an estimated 70 percent of Hawai'i's children don't know how to swim.
"You can't teach the kids to swim without a pool," Suenaga said. "It needs to be safe. We are surrounded by water, and we can't teach our kids to swim."
Suenaga said many communities have been waiting years for pools and the city should open badly needed pools before imposing a moratorium.
"I know swimming pools cost a lot of money," Suenaga said. "But if you build one, make sure it will be widely used for learning to swim, master swimming, teaching lifeguards, water aerobics. If they can't open it up, why build it?"
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
