Lang
8/9/19
A broken bottle closed not just one, but two Iowa City pools last month.
The Iowa Swimming Inc (ISI) Long Course State Championships were moved from the University of Iowa Campus Recreation and Wellness Center to the Mercer Park Aquatic Center the weekend of July 25th-28th. The swim meet’s location change closed the Mercer pool to the public for the weekend.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette now reports that the UI pool was forced to close due to a broken bottle. On July 23rd a pool user had a glass bottle poolside…which is against the rules…and dropped it, causing it to shatter with shards falling into the water. The UI was forced to immediately drain and clean the pool…just two days before the swim meet.
The UI was expecting approximately 1,500 people each day of the four-day event. While the seating area at the UI Recreation and Wellness Center can hold about 1,200 spectators, the bleachers at Mercer hold only about 150 people.
By closing the pool and staffing the swim meet, the city incurred a cost of about $1,200. The charges have been invoiced to Iowa Swimming.
The UI pool remains closed for maintenance, which had beeen planned even before the glass bottle incident. It is expected to reopen in time for the start of the fall semester on August 26th.
