Bicentennial Pool opening delayed due to leak

May 24—The opening of Bicentennial Pool has been delayed until further notice due to a leak, the city of Santa Fe announced Friday.

The city's only outdoor lap pool, Bicentennial Pool on Alto Street is typically open between Memorial Day and Labor Day for the summer season. The pool was closed in 2021 for renovations.

Brian Stinett, the city's Recreation Division director, said employees identified a leak in the pool but are still working to determine its location. The pool cannot be certified by the New Mexico Environment Department as safe to reopen until the leak has been found and fixed, he said.

"We're doing everything we can to find the leak and get repairs scheduled," he said.

The city has three other pools: at Fort Marcy Park, the Genoveva Chavez Community Center and Salvador Perez Recreation Center. The Fort Marcy Pool will be closed starting Saturday for a boiler replacement, according to information on the city's website.

Stinett said he could not comment Friday on how long the replacement is expected to take.

"It just depends on the contractor and their timeline," he said.

Programs at the Chavez Center will be expanded to "maximum capacity" while Bicentennial Pool is closed, the news release said. Summer programs will begin June 3, Stinett said.

Salvador Perez Pool also is undergoing a boiler replacement "to improve pool temperature consistency at the facility," according to the city's website. It is scheduled to reopen to the public June 3.

Like municipalities across the country, the city has struggled in recent years to hire enough lifeguards to keep all of its pools open during regular summer hours. Some of its Recreation Division employees also are out due to injuries, Stinett said Friday.

"We're still short a considerable amount" for this summer, he said.

The city has hired some trainees and should be in a better position by mid-June, he said.

A number of full and part-time lifeguard positions are advertised on the city's online hiring portal, Stinnet said. Those interested in applying can go to santafenm.gov/how-to-apply.