MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The indoor pool at the IronWorks Gym here is scheduled to close July 1 due to renovations and slated to reopen Oct. 1.
Both the WaterWorks and Club pools are scheduled to remain open while the IronWorks pool undergoes its needed renovations.
Pool renovations will involve the replacement of heat exchangers and more than 200 floor tiles.
“This project was planned for and approved,” said Stephanie Brown, the aquatics director at the IronWorks Gym. “We must have the repairs done now while the funds are available or risk not having the funds at a later date.”
The heat exchangers regulate the temperature of the pool water, particularly in the winter.
While the heat exchangers in the pool are still operational, it’s better to replace them now instead of being left in a worse situation by waiting for them to be completely inoperable, Brown said.
The floor tiles are seen as a potential safety risk.
“The floor tiles are broken and need to be replaced,” said Brown. “They can get to be a slip or trip cut hazard and we don’t want anybody getting hurt.”
Some station members who regularly use the indoor pool have begun to express frustration at the pool closing.
“I think it’s disappointing,” said Soraya Applegate, a regular swimmer at the indoor pool. “I’ve only been here a few months, and the first three months I was here it was closed.”
Applegate sent an e-mail to find out why the pool was reclosing and why the additional work wasn’t done during the last closure.
“I did get a very nice reply to my comment,” said Applegate. “Basically the funding wasn’t there to do it at that time.”
Applegate said she believes they know what they are doing and is sure that what is being done needs doing.
Hours of operation for the WaterWorks pool are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Hours of operation for the Club pool are 5 a.m. – 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturdays with Sundays and holidays operating from 11 a.m.– 8 p.m.