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Tsunami Saipan renews call to open pool
Swimming Center Tsunami Saipan has renewed its clamor to reopen the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.
The group’s call would be heard anew when it holds a “Walk to Reopen the Pool” this Saturday. The walk, which is free and open to the public, will be from the 13 Fishermen in Beach Road to Paseo De Marianas and will start at 4pm. Tsunami Saipan head coach Hiro Kimura said club members and their parents and supporters will join the walk.
“There are 70 swimmers belonging to Tsunami Saipan now and we invited all. We hope swimmers from Dolphin Club Saipan and Saipan Swim Club will join, too,” said Kimura, whose group had earlier launched an online signature campaign to keep the the facility open.
The 50-meter pool in Marpi eventually shut down after Kan Pacific’s lease extension agreement with the Department of Public Lands expired last Sept 30 and it has been closed for more than two months now. There’s no indication that the pool will reopen soon, especially after Saipan was slammed by Super Typhoon Yutu last October. The already deteriorating facility was also not spared by Yutu’s wrath, as tin roofs at the restroom and holding area were detached and the wall just past the entrance was damaged.
The water in the pool, which hasn’t been cleaned since the facility shut down, is murky and moss continues to grow in the surrounding areas. Tsunami Saipan checked the Marpi pool last month and even though the group’s officials did not go inside the facility, they knew that it badly needs a cleanup.
The facility is now under DPL and Tsunami Saipan has sought permission from the agency to enter the property and clean it. Tsunami Saipan president Hiroko Kimura told Saipan Tribune that they are just completing some paperwork and once they are finalized and they get the approval from DPL, the club will hold a cleanup at the facility.
