Open Bicentennial Pool

Bicentennial Pool is an outdoor single sport facility. It is the logical, obvious and best option, by far, for opening a City of Santa Fe sports facility. Here is why: it is inherently more conducive to managing healthy conditions and maintaining public safety because of the simple fact that it is outside. It is the city's only outdoor swimming facility, it is smaller than other venues so less staff is needed to operate and it is easily accessible without touching doors or other surfaces.

This sports facility should be considered an "essential business" for the health and well-being of Santa Fe residents and it is scientifically/medically proven that chlorinated pool water effective kills and inactivates viruses, and it is likely that it also kills and inactivates coronavirus.

BC is ready to open—they have passed city inspections, have designed entry and exit protocols for minimal indoor time and maintaining suggested personal distancing, a system for timely disinfecting the facility, have lifeguards and staff ready to work despite furloughs and a lane reservation system ready to implement.

For those of us competitive swimmers, being in the water is as essential as breathing air. We are a dedicated group of athletes who maintain our mental and physical health by working out in the water. These health benefits are exactly the same for swimmers who are less “competitive” but no less serious about being in the water. Swimmers can bring their own gear, arrive with a mask and with swim suits on and the City Health Department has waived the required shower so locker rooms do not have to be opened except for restroom use.

Swimming has been proven to maintain physical and mental fitness by keeping one’s heart rate up with less impact stress on the body, building endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness, helping to maintain a healthy body weight, healthy heart and lungs, toning muscles and building strength, providing one of the best physical therapies for recovering from injuries due to its "low impact” nature, helping people with asthma, improving symptoms of multiple sclerosis, managing mental health and stress and many more benefits too numerous to mention.

Thanks you for signing this petition.