GVR members not happy with pool plan

Several GVR board members won’t reveal how they’re planning to vote on a proposal to make the West Center the site of a family pool while others say they still could be swayed by comments from residents at a meeting July 28.

GVR members opposed to the plan have been vocal, commenting online, at a June meeting and through phone calls to the board.

They say young children can be disruptive, and point out that Green Valley is primarily a retirement community. Others said extended pool hours pose a safety risk — and a serious liability to GVR — with no lifeguard on duty.

Board President Altie Metcalf wouldn’t say Tuesday how she planned to vote, but said the stipulation that GVR require pool monitors be on duty during the children’s hours is “likely to influence board members positively.”

She said if the plan passes, the extended hours would only last until December.

“It would basically be done as a trial, and I think that’s a good idea,” she said.

Kids can swim at all 13 of GVR’s rec center pools in the summer from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with a special three-hour block — 1 to 4 p.m. — at the West Center. But a proposal discussed at the June board meeting could extend children’s hours from 11 a.m. to close, Monday though Friday, and 6 a.m. to close on weekends. GVR pools close in the summer at 9 p.m. and in the winter at 7 p.m.

At the last board meeting, several members spoke out against the plan.

One man said GVR should choose another pool because the West Center is frequented by serious lap swimmers who enjoy the colder water.

An unscientific poll on the www.gvnews.com Web site was roughly 2-1 against extending the hours. The poll is still active.

Allison Brown, GVR’s recreation manager, said the West Center pool was chosen because it has the lowest attendance of the seven major center pools. Other factors include the pool’s large size, its proximity to the Member’s Services Center, and that it would avoid confusion because the West Center currently hosts special children’s hours in the summer.

Brown said the location was presented to two focus groups in January, where it was agreed that the West Center was the best choice. The focus groups were organized to discuss extending children’s pool hours at the request of several parents and grandparents.

Brown said the focus groups were announced on the front page of GVR’s publication Keeping Current, but the meetings were not well-attended.

“We were hoping for a greater turnout in order to seek member input on the issue,” she said. GVR is not an age-restricted organization, but Brown said they have restricted children’s pool hours in the past because the majority of its members are retired. She says extending pool hours is an effort to accommodate more members.

Since January 2008, GVR has recorded more than 13,000 visits by children under 18 at the 13 pools, she said.

Other amenities, such as tennis and pickleball courts, are not age restricted but require children to be accompanied by an adult. Children under 12 are not allowed in the fitness rooms for safety reasons, Brown said, and GVR clubs have their own age restrictions, usually tied to safety concerns.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726