Nome Pool to open for summer
Swimmers should start dusting off their flippers and floaties. The Nome Pool is scheduled to open May 11.
The facility was closed all winter while the City of Nome waited on the final parts to complete an overhaul of the pool’s systems so it could switch from saltwater back to chlorine. But now the construction is finished, the lifeguards are trained and the water is high quality, according to City Manager Glenn Steckman.
Typically, the pool shuts down for a month or two in the summer for maintenance. This year it won’t require servicing, so it can operate through the summer into the winter Steckman said.
The new system comes equipped with an electronic water monitoring system that notifies Director of Parks and Recreation Chip Leeper of any imbalances in the water quality and allows him to correct chemicals remotely.
“Too much of Chip’s time has been spent over the years continuously having to be at the pool to manually treat the water,” Steckman said.
Previously the system they were working with was more appropriate for residential pools, The newly installed system is made for commercial facilities.
Even after the overhaul, the city is still fixing problems created by the destructive saltwater, such as an open hole on the pool deck left by a corroded drain. The hole slightly delayed but didn’t stop the first round of lifeguard recertifications, organized by Melissa Ford. There are currently enough lifeguards to start the season, but Ford is looking for more to take the second certification May 14-18.