KAPAA — Jeremy Haupt, a water safety officer at the Kapaa Swimming Pool and a coach with the Kapaa High School swim program, said there will be a line outside the gate starting early this morning. “The seniors have been
KAPAA — Jeremy Haupt, a water safety officer at the Kapaa Swimming Pool and a coach with the Kapaa High School swim program, said there will be a line outside the gate starting early this morning.
“The seniors have been waiting for this a long time and (today) they’re planning a big party,” Haupt said Monday following the blessing marking the end of improvements to the Kapaa pool.
The public is invited to check out the $300,000 renovation today, too.
“They did such a good job, if you look at the pump shed, you would not know it had been cut,” said Lenny Rapozo, director of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “We still have the original pump which filters the sand. The original building was built in the 1960s and if you look at the filter, it’s bigger than the door.”
New walls, restroom and shower facilities are part of the rebuild. Rapozo said other improvements include the replacing of the former steel chain link fencing with aluminum by Wellington Fence.
The upgrade makes the pool more energy efficient, able to withstand harsh elements, and aesthetically pleasing, the county stated in a press release. George Kawamura of G. Kawamura Construction, a Kalaheo-based firm, served as the general contractor.
A majority of the work was on the men’s and women’s locker rooms which were replaced with two free-standing building that have two restrooms, a changing room, three outdoor showers, and a drinking fountain.
The pool equipment room was repaired and repainted. The Department of Parks and Recreation staff also took advantage of the closure to drain the pool, power washing, scrubbing and replacing missing tiles before the reopening. The new pool has already been broken in, so to speak.
The Kapaa High School swim team used the pool Monday afternoon for practice after weeks of sharing the Kauai High School pool with the Red Raider swim team and Mokihana Aquatics community swim program.
“I commend our parks and public works team along with our CIP manager for looking for the best, quickest and most affordable solution to the renovation needs of this facility,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr.
Carvalho acknowledged the patience of the community while the improvements were taking place over the course of the year.
“We appreciate the patience of the community while we made these necessary repairs, but it will be well-worth it for the pool facility which we are proud to reopen to you, today,” he said.
The pool is free to the public.
The Kapaa Swimming Pool hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for open swim; from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday for adult swim and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for open swim; and from noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday for open swim. The pool is closed on Mondays.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
