What's new with the ole swimmin hole?

December rain delayed the reopening of the La Mesa municipal pool and spa until February 2.

The weather caused a delay in work to replace a portion of the pool deck, according to a January 7 notice from the City of La Mesa community services department.

Becky Jackman-Beeler, recreation supervisor for aquatics and sports, said in a January 12 interview that the pool was built in 1952 and renovated in 1990. While the original pool shell remains, recent work included new plumbing, installation of a surge tank, and plaster gutters.

"Every year, there's something [to be done because] the pool runs 24 hours a day,” Jackman-Beeler said. In addition to planned tasks, there's also the unexpected, like the discovery of a leak during December 2012 maintenance.

According to a February 2013 report from city manager David Witt, "work needed to be done to stop water from ponding at the adjacent" Sun Valley Golf Course.

Tests revealed leaks in eight of the original copper return lines located in the pool walls. The city decided to convert all 14 copper inlets to PVC. A final test showed no additional leaks. The total for that work, repair of the heater, and replacement of the heat exchanger was $17,100, according to the report.

The unexpected in 2013 occurred during deck replacement. When the old deck was saw-cut, so were the lines for underwater lights and communication lines (ie., the phone).

The facility "was without communication for weeks," said Jackman-Beeler, who started going to the pool as a child. "My mom watched Greg Louganis dive as I swam."

Louganis learned to dive there and won his first Olympic medal for diving in 1976. Although there is no longer a three-meter diving board at the pool (there is still a one-meter board), newer bleachers are in the same location where Jackman-Beeler's mother sat.

Wall tiles above the water fountains, including the depiction of a fish, are from 1952; so are the motorized roofs above the locker rooms. The roof over the women's room moves to shade the bleachers.

The small building near the bleachers was originally the snack bar. "I used to pick up golf balls to get penny candy," Jackman-Beeler recalled.

The pool’s delayed opening won't affect registration for youth classes. Online registration begins February 1, and spring aquatics sessions start in March.