Frequent and random closures at Hawaii County pools are causing frustration for swimmers across the island.
Annoyance levels were high Monday morning as residents waited outside the Kawamoto Swim Stadium for it to open at the scheduled time of 12 p.m.
According to the pool’s voicemail and a notice posted outside, the pool was supposed to be open from noon to 2:45 p.m. after a water safety agility test that morning.
But due to staffing shortages, there have been unexpected closures at the pool, which has caused many to miss out on their regular workouts, swim classes or clubs, or pain-mitigating therapy.
Volcano resident Susie, who declined to give her last name, drove to Hilo to get a swim in before an appointment in town at 1 p.m. When she saw that the gates were locked, she knew that she would not get to swim that day.
“The voicemail said it would be open for two hours and 45 minutes due to the swim test and temporary staffing shortages,” Susie said. “This is not temporary or out of the ordinary. This is a normal thing, and they aren’t communicating with us, the people who use the pool regularly.”
More people arrived at the pool near 1 p.m. after reaching management, who stated it would open at 1 p.m., not 12 p.m.
Lifeguard Aniena Kanahele opened the gate for those waiting but was confused by the time posted outside the pool since he had been scheduled to come in at 1 p.m.
“We’re short-staffed. There always has to be two lifeguards on deck due to health and safety regulations,” Kanahele said. “Many of these schedules are fluid. During the summer, we had extra hires, but now we have a perfect storm of errors.”
According to Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina, some lifeguards are on military leave or personal leave, which has caused more closures than normal.
There are currently 10 vacant permanent county lifeguard positions that have not been filled.
“Since we don’t have enough lifeguards, this can cause many closures. Some we can plan for, and some we cannot, and when we don’t have enough personnel, we have to close,” Messina said. “This is a trend nationwide with a huge shortage of lifeguards that affects pools. We are exhausting all avenues by offering overtime, vetting volunteer lifeguards and actively recruiting lifeguards.”
Three pools across the county are closed due to repairs, renovations and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.
The Kohala Swimming Pool reopened on Saturday, Aug 12, after being closed for two years for repairs, and the Laupahoehoe Swimming Pool is set to reopen on Friday, Sept. 1, after a leak repair.
The Pahala Swimming Pool and Nas Swimming Pool are closed indefinitely pending renovations, which include ADA upgrades.
The Honokaa Swimming Pool, Kawamoto Swim Stadium, Kona Community Aquatic Center, Konawaena Swimming Pool and Pahoa Community Aquatic Center have all been open this summer with various hours.
Swimmers wanting to use any of the pools are asked to call beforehand in case there are unexpected closures that day.
After watching lifeguards enter the Kawamoto pool Monday without addressing those waiting outside the gate, the swimmers grew even more frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of care or regard coming from pool managers and lifeguards.
“They see people waiting, and they don’t say anything. They don’t care,” said Evelyn, who declined to give her last name. “People come from a long ways away for therapy. I come here to help my body and mind, because I can’t always go to the beach.”
A frequent Kawamoto pool user, who declined to give his name, said the attitude between lifeguards and swimmers has disintegrated, with employees not seeming to care about the pool and how important it is to some users.
“We were once a happy family with all the lifeguards and staff at the pool, then the past three years, things seemed to disintegrate. Some of the public was concerned for the lifeguards, as they looked so sad and bored on their seats,” he said. “It seems like they avoid the public, who drove far or took off work to come swim, only to find the pool closed again without notice, or last-minute notice.”
The swimmers also complained about the lack of hot water at the Kawamoto pool for three years.
“Kawamoto pool is the coldest pool on the island, and for the past three years, they have not had hot water for the swimmers to wash off the chlorine,” he said. “It seems like no one is able to resolve, must less fix, this simple task of repairing, replacing, relocating, the broken pipe. We are told that there is nothing they can do, and for us to contact the mayor’s office.”
Some of the swimmers have been told by lifeguards and managers that they aren’t being paid enough, which is why many of them quit and decide to work at resorts or beaches.
According to the summer aquatics program, the county is hiring lifeguards starting at $19.72 per hour with benefits for full-time and part-time work at pools across the island.
Those interested can find the job openings under “Pool Lifeguard” at governmentjobs.com/careers/countyhawaii.
According to Kawamoto’s voice message, the pool will be open for its regular hours until Thursday, which are 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. for lap swimming and 9 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. for recreational and lap swimming. The pool will close this Friday for staff training.
Kawamoto pool should be open Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. for recreational and lap swimming. It is closed on Sundays for the foreseeable future.
If there are unexpected closures, they most likely will be in the afternoons, according to the Kawamoto pool manager Janie Wadahara. The voicemail is updated every day around 11 a.m.
Messina hopes to implement a link on the Parks and Recreation Department’s website that would update the daily status for all the pools on the island.
“We will continue to do our best at notifying public about these closures as soon as possible,” Messina said. “When that site goes up, they can check it before they leave the house to have less impact on their daily recreation.”
More information on the nine county pools and the specific hours and phone numbers, visit parks.hawaiicounty.gov/facilities-parks/aquatics.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
