SARATOGA SPRINGS
Pool won’t open by the Fourth Peerless closed Victoria usable
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
The Peerless Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park won’t be open July 4, but renovation work should be complete and the swimming pool opened late next week, a state official said Wednesday.
“It’s still a work in progress,” said Michael Greenslade, park manager. The pool had been scheduled to open June 28.
Contractors are finishing a $168,000 renovation of the pool’s surface using a rubber compound that requires a period of dry weather to cure. The onand-off rain in the past month has delayed the work that was started May 15, according to park officials.
Greenslade said the final coat of epoxy paint was applied Wednesday to the surface of the Olympicsized pool in the southwest corner of the park.
“It’s a four-step process,” Greenslade said.
The steps include the application of a primer, the application of a rubber-based filler, a topcoat of rubber membrane material over the filler and a final coat of epoxy paint.
“It has to cure five days,” Greenslade said. He said Wednesday’s sunny, dry weather was a good start for the new surface.
“We hope the surface lasts for years to come,” Greenslade said.
The old surface had started to deteriorate and develop leaks. The new surface is also expected to improve swimmers’ footing around the pool and improve the pool’s appearance.
Park employees will wait for fi ve days for the surface work to cure and then start filling the pool as soon as possible, Greenslade said.
The Peerless Pool, the largest of two pools in the state park, underwent a major renovation in 1996-97. A kiddie pool and a slide pool were added to the complex at that time.
Greenslade said the main pool will open first and the slide pool and kiddie pool somewhat later.
“We want to focus on the main pool first; it will open first,” Greenslade said. He estimated that the main Peerless Pool would be able to open July 10 or July 11.
He said the pool chemicals and all of the people who work at the Peerless Pool are lined up and ready to go when the signal is given.
The Victoria Pool, the park’s other pool, located near the 18-hole championship golf course, opened last Saturday and remains open for swimming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
“Today we reached capacity,” Greenslade said about the Victoria Pool on Wednesday. Capacity is 350 people using the pool at any one time. When people leave the pool after swimming, others are allowed in to replace them.
The cost to swim at Victoria Pool is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
The cost to swim at Peerless Pool is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. However, the Peerless Pool is located in an area of the 2,200-acre park that requires a $6-per-car entry gate fee.
The state park will issue a public announcement as soon as an opening date has been determined for the Peerless Pool.
For additional information, contact the state park office at 584-2000 or visit the state parks Web site at www.nysparks.com.
22 comments:
I'm sure you feel as I do that the last week has been wonderful at the Victoria Pool. It has been great watching all those little sprats romping around having a grand old time. I always thought that the Peerless was better for children because it had much more for them to do but that isn't totally true. The Victoria is a great place for them to relax and have fun. Afterall they are the ones that will continue on with it long after we are six feet under.
Madelyn Maxwell, Saratoga Springs
LOL, I don't know how old you are Madelyn, but I don't plan on being six feet under for a long, long time yet. So I will be enjoying the pool for a long time too.
I do agree the "little sprats" have been fun and very well behaved. But the problem is there is only room for 350 of them at the Victoria Pool! So maybe the powers that be sould have planned better to have the Peerless Pool opened by the beginning of swimming season. Or at least figured out a way to open the Victoria Pool earlier in anticpation of the Peerless delay. I can't believe there hasn't been 4 days in a row without rain all last fall and all this spring. That's what the excuse is for not opening the Peerless. Fool me once...
You're acting like this is something new. In past years even with both pools open on hot days and holidays the Victoria has gone way over capacity and had to stop letting patrons in. Blaming the delayed work on the Peerless is just a lame and pathetic excuse. When the Peerless does open this coming week you'll find something new to complain about or blame "the powers that be" for so this kind of response doesn't surprise me. Why do you insist on being part of the ugliness out there?
You are right. The disregard of the taxpayers is nothing new.
I wasn't blaming the work on the Peerless for the capacity numbers at the Victoria. I does reach capcity even with the Peerless opened but at least the Peerless is another option for those who get turned away.
It's funny you seem to know when the Peerless will be opened, every time I've asked a park empolyee no one seems to know for sure.
And yes I will insist on being part of the ugliness, if that means being aware of how and where my tax dollars are being spent.
You've posted the articles, but do you read them? Does anybody realize that the park itself is not rehabbing the Peerless Pool? An outside contractor is doing the work, hence wouldn't opening day be dependent on the contractor and not park employees or managers? That's probably why park employees are just as in the dark as you, and probably just as frustrated. Personally, I really don't think there is ever an excuse for ugliness, whining, and bad humor- money included.
Oh, where do I begin?
Of course the park itself is not rehabbing the Peerless Pool. But someone on the state payroll hired the contractor and is responsible for the progress of the contractor they hired and are paying with tax dollars.
Let me put it in a way you may understand...
Say you were planning a wedding or a familly reunion at your home, an it centered around your beautiful back yard and pool. It is the end of last summer and the party is the first weekend in the next July. I bet you see where I'm going. Now you have to hire a contractor to resurface your pool before the party. I bet dollars to donuts you would not let any excuse get in the way of your getting that pool done in the next ELEVEN MONTHS!
Just because it would be very important to you and your guests.
You may personally not think there is ever an excuse for, as you put it, ugliness, whining and bad humor. I don't think hiring someone to do a job and then making sure they get it done on time, because you paid them, and other people are counting on you to see that it gets done is ugliness or whining and bad humor.
It's just doing your job, which by the way, is also paid for with tax payers dollars.
To anonymous above with your little wedding analogy...get a life! You truly belong with this society, it must be nice to sit with the cradle of idiocy
Last I checked, the contractor doesn't control the weather. The article clearly states that the new surface needs a certain number of dry days to cure. I suppose your next solution would be to build a giant tent over the pool so that rain-or-shine, that paint will dry.
Try to be an optimist...your wonderful, magical, healing pool is open until Labor Day. Isn't that enough?
You're right again. The contractor doesn't control the weather. And it is always nice to sit with the cradle of idiocy, isn't it?
By the way, I am an optimist but that doesn't make me gullable.
I find it hard to believe, no, impossible to believe, that there haven't been 5 days in a row for the pool liner to cure since last Labor Day when the pool closed for the season. Of course that's when anyone who wanted to be sure the job was done by July would have started the work. That would have only made good sense. But then again, that's just what I would have done...I'm not as smart as the powers that be.
Oh yeah, 4th of July, 3 day weekend, perfect weather...oops no Peerless. Again,when will the Peerless be opened?
you're obviously too ignorant to realize that a new liner and other renovations to peerless pool cost money. where do you think that money was going to come from before may? surely the state ,akes enough profit where it can afford to spend an extra million dollars right? And even so, the new liner should have been a prioity at the state assembly, it's not like we have anything bigger to worry about (a stagnant economy, global warming, the "war on terrorism", rising fuel & food prices etc.). the new york state park system gets 1/2 of 1 percent of the state's annual budget. you should all be grateful saratoga gets so much attention.
I usually do a good job of hiding how ignorant I am, but you are very astute and figured it out right away...without even meeting me. Bravo!
Even with my diminished capacity, I have managed to figure out that it costs money for the pool repairs. But since you seem to know that there was no money before May, maybe you should share that with the people who actually work for the park and speak on their behalf. With all the inquires and press releases and statements not once was it mentioned that there was no money to start the project before May. Now again, I'm not the smartest person, but if I was getting all that flack, and the answer was as simple as... we didn't have the money, I would have just said that. No one could have argued about that...it would have been something that made sense and we all understand. In fact, maybe Louise would have come to the rescue and worked her butt off to get the funds to fix the Peerless too.
Some NYS citizens and taxpayers feel nourishing the body and soul make art and architecture and yes, even historic landmarks, like swimming pools are important to their quality of life. Maybe if more funding went into art and architecture and less into war it would be good for everyone. Or do you think things like the Statue of Liberty and Lincoln Memorial should just be closed and let fall into disrepair?
HA HA HA HA!!! You're comparing the Victoria Pool to the Statue of Liberty... and the Lincoln Memorial...???? Two symbols of freedom you are comparing to a SWIMMING POOL???!!!???!!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!! That's a gem!
P.S. About ten years the Washington Memorial was closed for a period of time to under go repairs/modifications...it happens.
The "GREAT DEPRESSION" had a lot to do during the building of Saratoga Spa State Park. Your last comment reinforces our work towards a Spa Museum so people can read and see the history of the building of the Park. American History is woven into every Harvard brick of the Park including the Pool no matter how little respect you show for history.
Your work? Other than word of mouth what "work" have you done to get this "Spa Museum" in motion?
I have an incredible amount of respect for history of all kinds. I have absolutely none however for this particular structure that you love so much because it isn't anything more than a public swimming pool.
“An outside contractor is doing the work, hence wouldn't opening day be dependent on the contractor and not park employees or managers?”
And I have no doubt that contractor has donated handsomely too many politico’s war chest. None in this day and age can possible be naive enough to believe that State contracts are rewarded to the cheapest or most qualified bidder.
“About ten years the Washington Memorial was closed for a period of time to under go repairs/modifications...it happens.”
Only in government it happens pal.
So basically what you're saying is that no matter what the situation, you're going to blame the state- even the workers who seem to have little political (or otherwise) control. I'm sure that the 17 and 18 year olds working at the Vic have HUGE personal political agendas. Furthermore, I'm willing to bet that if the Peerless WAS open, you would find something else in the park to whine about- there really is no end. Enjoy the magic of the pool, and stop complaining.
What is laughable is that you think these high school and college youngsters are involved at all in any of these political issues that you seem to think sore through the organization.
“Enjoy the magic of the pool, and stop complaining.”
Incompetence always functioned best with a distracted and ignorant public. I will complain this is not their Park it is our Park and it is becoming a dump.
“17 and 18 year olds working at the Vic have HUGE personal political agendas.”
Actually they are getting real life experience in how not to run a business.
The problem with the pool and so many tax funded programs is just that...they are tax funded. If they were run like a private business, that had to make money to keep going it would be a different story. They would figure out what the people want, and how to keep them comming back. They would figure out a way to be opened for business, when people are trying to give them money for admission, food, and drinks. They would figure out how to keep the bathrooms and facilities clean thtough out the day. They would figure out how to have enough chairs available for the amount of people they let in. Just the normal things resorts, hotels, and any other private enterprises do to make a profit and stay in business year after year. It's called customer service and anyone who has been in a sucessful business has figured this out.
I don't know which is more shameful...that the NYS park people don't know how to run a business or they just don't care. I'm afraid it may be a little of both!
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