The Montgomery County Aquatic Center reopened Friday, five days after its scheduled renovation debut was delayed due to construction debris in two pools, but the diving platform that was the subject of the renovation will remain closed for two more weeks.
The aquatic center has been closed since May while the platform was renovated. Crews filling the main pool and lap pool Oct. 17 noticed that refuse from the construction project had spilled into the newly-renovated pools, said Robin Riley, division chief of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation.
"There was just junk, literally nasty water and construction debris and things that were in those lines," Riley said. One of the two filtration pumps had failed, she said.
The lap pool and the main pool both had to be refilled. The leisure pool, the area for children and toddlers, was not affected.
It took several days to start over, as crews had to drain the pools, scrub the new surfacing, and refill them, which alone takes two days. Then the pools needed to be heated.
The renovation cost $1.3 million. Riley said she didn't know how much the delay cost, but it would have included cleaning supplies, water and heating costs and paying the crew.
Riley said the diving platform is expected to reopen in about two weeks, once the handrails are installed on the stairs leading up to the platform. Minor ceramic tile work is also still in progress, she said.
Yolanda Faerber of Potomac, a parent on the Montgomery Dive Club, said the team still practiced last week in spite of the delay.
"The kids just did extra dry land and strength training, they let us use the party room to do it," said Faerber. The delay may have been a disappointment, but she said it was "just a drop in the bucket."
"I'm really thankful to the county that we have these facilities so close," she said. The team has been practicing at the Martin Luther King Jr. Swim Center in Silver Spring.
Faerber said the new dive platform is wide enough to do synchronized diving at the 5, 7 and 10-meter heights. Most diving platforms are only wide enough at the 10-meter level, which eliminates junior synchronized diving competitions because younger kids don't dive from the highest level.
"It's going to allow us to host a lot more meets," Faerber said of the new facility. "It's opened up lot of opportunity for the county and the team and they really did a good job designing it."
