Closed for maintenance—these are three words that parks and rec professionals and patrons do not enjoy seeing posted on the front door of any rec facility. However, when they apply to outdoor aquatic facilities, they can take on a whole new level of importance.
Why, you might ask, is this phrase more critical in aquatics? A good question, and the answer isn’t a simple one. First of all, aquatic facilities generally are among the most expensive for a parks department to run, so the cost-to-benefit ratio is often skewed. But citizens who patronize aquatic facilities are among the most loyal and vocal, so anything that interrupts service is sure to get a reaction.
So it often comes down to a service-versus-cost analysis: Does the cost of maintaining an aquatic facility justify keeping it open? In many cases over the past several years, the answer has been no.