The Lessons and Reservations pages are now live. The swim lesson sessions are June 24 – July 5 and July 8 – 19. Patios can be reserved for birthdays and other parties. If you have already requested lessons or reservations and have not received a confirmation, please email info@eastparkpool.org.
East Park Pool Is Now Open For The Summer
When we were filling the pool for the season, we discovered a major leak in our plumbing system. If you’ve ever had a plumbing emergency in Los Alamos, you know how challenging it can be to find a plumber. Now, imagine trying to find one specializing in commercial pool systems. When they told us we would need to wait for special parts to be delivered, our hearts sank as we saw our summer by the poolside literally going down the drain, but thanks to the expedient service of Anytime Plumbing of Santa Fe, we are back in business ahead of schedule!
We are immensely grateful to our members for their patience and understanding as we worked to open our pool. Your support was instrumental in allowing us to secure the necessary parts, repair the leak, fill and treat the pool, and move up our inspection and opening. Our lifeguards have been busy in the downtime getting everything looking great. We are thrilled to announce that East Park Pool, located at 111 East Road, is now open for business from 6 AM to 7 PM until Labor Day.
We strive to be the most affordable, inclusive, and fun community pool in Los Alamos. If you’re not a member already, our annual family memberships are $525. We have heard from many community members who don’t want to commit to a membership, but would like to purchase day passes. It has always been a challenge to do this in Los Alamos because of the regulatory and liability hurdles, but we are trying to figure out a way to make that happen. The best way you can support that goal is by purchasing a membership. If that isn’t an option for you, we encourage you to make friends with a member so you can use one of their guest passes and see why East Park Pool has been a community oasis for 70 years!
Pool Opening Delay Announcement #2
Dear East Park Pool Members,
On June 3, the board convened an emergency meeting to discuss the delayed opening and its impact. We hope this update will address your concerns and keep you informed.
What is the issue?
When we filled the pool after the work parties, we discovered a major leak in the pump room. Unfortunately, fixing it is not as simple as getting a new pipe from the local hardware store. It requires an industrial part and a specialized plumber, so it’s taking longer to resolve.
When will it be resolved?
The necessary part has been ordered and is expected to be installed on June 13. While the plumber is here, they will inspect our system for other potential issues and provide a quote for repairs after the season. Additionally, we plan to order spare parts to avoid delays in the future.
What is the total cost?
The estimated cost for this repair is $3,000. Depending on the plumber’s assessment, preventive maintenance could be significantly higher. Although we have the funds to cover it, it is still a considerable expense.
What are the next steps to open?
Once the plumbing is repaired, we will fill the pool and treat the water on June 14 and 15. The state inspection is scheduled for June 17.
Are there additional concerns?
We do not anticipate any further delays and expect to open on June 18.
How will members be compensated?
We strive to be the most affordable, inclusive, and fun pool in Los Alamos. We keep membership rates low by doing much of the repair work ourselves, but sometimes, professional help is necessary.
We acknowledge our responsibility to maintain the pool and regret that we did not meet expectations. As compensation, we are offering to members who paid in advance a $75 refund for family memberships and a $50 refund for individual memberships upon request to account for the lost days. This adjusts the cost to $450 and $335 respectively, still 25% less than the next cheapest option for only 18% fewer days. If your finances allow, please consider foregoing the refund to help replenish our Repair Fund.
What are lifeguards doing while we’re closed?
Our dedicated lifeguards have been busy during this closure. They are cleaning the pool, storage areas, equipment, and landscaping. They are also undergoing training and preparing guides for the new lifeguards. Their efforts have included removing two truckloads of trash and broken equipment. Collectively, they have contributed over 80 hours of hard work.
Swim Lessons
Session 1 of our swim lessons will be rescheduled to June 24 – July 5. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you cannot attend the new dates, please let us know so we can try to accommodate you. Session 2 will still be held from July 8 – 19. Each session costs $50, offering great value for 20 hours of lessons. To sign up for either session, please visit our Lessons page.
We eagerly anticipate opening on June 18 and hope this update has addressed your concerns. Thank you for your continued patience and support of East Park Pool!
Sincerely,
The East Park Pool Board
Pool Opening Delay Announcement
Dear Members,
We want to share an important update about the East Park Pool. Due to our aging infrastructure, we are facing some challenges in opening the pool on time. Specifically, a plumbing issue in our pump room is causing a delay.
Our inspector is scheduled to visit on May 30, but if we cannot resolve the plumbing issue by Wednesday, we will need to postpone the inspection as the pool won’t be filled with water yet. We understand how disappointing this news might be, and we deeply appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
We are committed to keeping you informed as the situation develops. Please know that this is not an unprecedented issue; other pools in Los Alamos have faced similar problems and successfully reopened with the support of their members. Your continued support is crucial as we work through these repairs.
Despite this setback, we remain optimistic and are aiming to open by the end of the school year. When we do, we plan to have a grand celebration to mark the occasion! We have an amazing team of lifeguards, an exceptional head guard, and exciting events planned for this year.
Thank you for your ongoing support of East Park Pool. Together, we will overcome this challenge and enjoy a fantastic pool season ahead.
Warm regards,
The East Park Pool Team
Work Parties May 4 & 18, Opening Day May 25
Dear East Park Pool Members,
April is almost over, EPP has begun to wake from her winter slumber, and we have some dates and news to share.
First work party will be Saturday May 4th from 9–1, we encourage members to bring gloves, positive energy and any tools you may have for helping to knock down and tidy up all the overgrowth. We will also be bleaching/cleaning bathroom mats, doing some painting, sanding, and plenty of cleaning. We will follow up the May 4th work party with another one May 18th, looking forward to getting back together with our EPP family. If you plan to attend either or both work parties please bring new pool passes to try out on our system. You can print one out or take a photo to keep on your phone. We are excited to incorporate Pool Passes into our system this year for member/guest convenience, accountability, and data tracking to better serve our membership.
We will host the state inspector May 20th in hopes of passing our annual inspection and getting EPP open for summer fun. We will also host an open house Saturday May 25 so bring your non-member friends and neighbors to EPP to start the season and show them all the fun we will be having this summer.
We have begun interviewing lifeguards and produced a new lifeguard policy and list of responsibilities to resolve some issues we encountered last season. We have begun connecting the kiddie pool to the main pool to accommodate drainage since confirming last season that the kiddie pool drain is kaput. We are incorporating a motion detection cctv security system to keep an eye on the pool while it’s closed as we unwillingly hosted several uninvited after hours visits last season. We are also working on getting the pool and deck lights in proper working order to accommodate some evening and night time events this year such as movie nights and private party rentals. The swimming lessons schedule is coming together and will be announced soon as well.
Please stay tuned for more info coming soon and as always we look forward to seeing you, hearing from you and having tons of fun along side you this season.
Your EPP President and Board
Brian Tyson (BT)
Reflections on the Past Year and Exciting Plans Ahead
Dear East Park Pool Members,
As we close down another fun-filled season, we want to take a moment to reflect on the past and give you a glimpse of what lies ahead. Although a lot has happened at EPP in the previous several years, an annual newsletter has not been one of them. We thank you for your patience with this aspect of EPP operations as we look forward to keeping our ongoing membership better informed of all that happens to keep EPP alive.
Returning to the EPP Board of Directors for the 2024 season are Brian Tyson (BT) as President, Jessica Hoffer as Vice President, Sarah Waters as Secretary, Sara Pearcy as Membership Chair, James and Alejandra Wernicke as Social Media and Marketing Chair, Bob Darlington as Maintenance Chair and Carl McElhinney as Certified Pool Operator and Life Guard Liaison. Bookkeeping and Treasury are now handled by James A. Dinkel, P.C., CPA.
In 2023, we had approximately 250 family and individual memberships. Your continued support is the backbone of our community pool. We had a blast with all the activities this summer and are already looking forward to next year in the events calendar. A massive shoutout to all members who volunteered their time at work sessions and made improvements. Thank you to the members that attended the annual all-members meeting. Your feedback is appreciated and being addressed, and one of our board goals for the upcoming year is to foster better communication with the members and staff. Your dedication keeps East Park Pool thriving.
Your membership fees were pivotal in completing essential projects over the last few years, including ongoing maintenance of aging infrastructure such as supporting an ever-settling and deteriorating concrete pool deck, diagnosing and fixing sump pump failures and failing drain and plumbing system issues, updating pool deck furniture, incorporating solar heated water to kiddie pool, incorporating a pool pass program, reviving our soda machines, providing computer and printer to guard shack, providing landscaping maintenance and trash hauling services as well as providing the funds required for payroll, internet, utilities etc. Obviously, the work is never done, and we have the kiddie pool drain at the top of our repair list for the upcoming season. Remember, your fees maintain our facilities and support the community. We’re proud to offer employment opportunities to our student lifeguards, ensuring a safe environment for all our members.
This year, we had total expenditures of $102,702 compared to last year’s $103,477. Our revenues for this year were $88,497 compared to 2022’s $106,436. We are committed to keeping membership fees affordable next year despite these fluctuations. This is no small task as minimum wage increases and pool expenses/issues are ever-increasing. We are currently facing a 25% swell in labor costs due to the minimum wage going from $12/hr to $15/hr. We are increasing membership fees by 5% in hopes of beginning to accommodate. We thank you for your understanding in this regard as we strive to keep East Park Pool running safely and facilitate our collective fun.
Our website management experienced quite the wrench in the works this year as our previous manager went MIA, essentially locking us out and handicapping several basic systems such as updating pool information, receiving membership funds through our PayPal account, and utilizing our new pool pass program. But worry not, we’ve created and appointed a new board member chair for social media and technology. This will ensure our website, social media, and systems like card scanners remain updated and functional. If you have suggestions, feedback, or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at board@eastparkpool.org.
We also experienced some difficulty and complaints concerning our lifeguard services this past season and are working to remedy these issues in the future. Please keep in mind that providing a full-service lifeguard crew is difficult given our very small labor pool and limited time availability with students/employees needing to attend various schools at various times both in starting and ending the swim season as well as coordinating summer travel plans all while juggling ever-changing weather conditions and guard requirements at the pool. As soon as we acquire, train, employ, and enjoy strong/healthy guard management, they quickly move on as they are graduating teenagers moving out of LA and on to their futures, so every season is a new management structure and crew. Our guard crew has always been a strong suit of ours with minimal complaints compared to what we hear happening at other pools, and aside from the usual list of complaints, we enjoy a lot of positive feedback as well concerning our guard crew’s ability and professionalism. We thank all members for their patience, consideration, and criticism in helping us provide a safe and fun environment for both members and employees to enjoy every summer.
Again, thank you for your patience in receiving regular communications from EPP operations. We look forward to providing more regular newsletters and schedules of events such as movie nights, floaty nights, holiday parties, and work parties for all members to participate in and enjoy. Thank you for being a part of the East Park Pool community. We eagerly await the fun times next year has in store for us.
Stay splashing,
The East Park Pool Team
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