Santa Maria Paul Nelson Aquatics Center reopens with a splash

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - For Kristi Schneider, waiting seven months for the Paul Nelson Pool to reopen has been rough. “I don’t like running I don’t go to the gym so once it closed it was really upsetting and depressing.”

The pool originally closed due to renovations.

The closure was extended due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Reopening the pool has been a major challenge for the Recreation and Parks Department who has been weighing safety and the cost of running the pool while the city faces budget cuts.

"In order to meet all the health requirements we’ve had to undergo many many many hours of work. The plan alone has been revised a good 20 times," said Dennis Smitherman with the Recreation and Parks Department.

The pool is currently only open to lap swimming with 15 people at a time.

"I think it’s really amazing that this place is opened up I think it’s good for a community," said swimmer Jessica Powell.

Most of the swimmers who came on the opening day say they felt comfortable with the safety measures.

"Like every other lane and social distancing and like facing opposite directions," said Powell.

Because Schneider has been out of the water for so long, she plans on focusing on just one swimming routine, "Right now just free style because I’m just so out of shape hahaha."

The recreation and parks department is expecting reservations for swimming to fill up fairly quickly.