The Last Pool

People are eager to swim. But with the increased rate of COVID-19 infections and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's new public health orders, there is not enough pool at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center to go around, say both frustrated Santa Feans and Parks and Rec Director John Muñoz.

GCCC is the only public pool currently open in Santa Fe, and of its 17 lanes, only 10 can be used by swimmers under the current public health orders. On top of the stricter conditions, the pool is only taking swimming reservations for one-hour slots for the next three weeks, through the end of December as city workers update technology in an attempt to improve the booking system.

In late December or early January, swimmers will be able to book their lanes online as well as by phone, says Muñoz.

"This is just another tool to make this more fair and more convenient. I know that some people do not have access to the internet and some of our residents do not have access to a computer or as much access as others and so this can impact some of the residents and again, it's not an overall solution, but it's just another tool to help us make it more convenient for patrons," he tells SFR. "We will have an online reservation tool where, on your smartphone or on the computer, you'll be able to see what spots are open and make that reservation without having to call in as well."

Parks and rec has cycled through two other reservation systems, both of which have created smoldering tension in Santa Fe. The first system, which began when the pool reopened in the early summer months, restricted callers to a reservation only for the next day.

But so many people were calling in at once (Muñoz says Santa Fe has over 300 active swimmers who use GCCC) that the phone lines ceased functioning and there was no way to wait on the line for a staff member or leave a voicemail.
"You had busy signals, no answers, people would call and call 40, 50 times a day and then some would finally get through and get no time," Muñoz explains. "It was extremely frustrating for them."

The second system, piloted starting in October, allowed people to wait in a "queue," which Muñoz hoped would make the system more fair, especially for older people who could not easily call back over and over again. But that system did not really work either, still only allowing people to book a lane one day in advance.

"We added staff to the front desk but even that wasn't enough because there was a rush to get these reservations in and so we have piloted several things," Muñoz says. "There were also some problems with the queue as far as once too many people called in, then you would get messaging like 'your number cannot be completed as dialed' and other just strange messaging with that, or you really couldn't tell if you were still in the queue or not. So people would hang up and then call again and drop to the bottom of the queue."

After receiving so much negative feedback from swimmers that they were only able to book one day in advance, Muñoz and the department switched tactics again just before the second lockdown started in November by allowing swimmers to make up to two reservations per week for a month.

This is the current system the city is working with until the tech team can get the online reservations up and running for 2021. But it still means some people are left out in the cold and out of the pool. The coming weeks are "just about full" and Muñoz says swimmers should check for cancellations as people decide to travel for the holidays.

The system change to reservations allowed weeks ahead, which went unannounced to the public, was vexing to Barrett Markland, an avid Santa Fe swimmer. She says she hasn't been able to swim for the past month and for now it seems, won't be able to swim for at least one more. Allowing reservations so far ahead has filled up most available slots until 2021.

Markland says the city should have better explained to constituents that the reservation system was going to change.

"The swimmers in this town are very strong-willed and I'm sure there are other people who were shocked just as I was," Markland tells SFR.

For now, Muñoz hopes that the new public health orders will soon allow for other public pools to open as well as more lanes at GCCC.