SSC would welcome new facility

Several of Saipan’s sporting associations had cause to smile with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Juan L. Babauta’s recent proposal to host the 2006 Micronesian Games—but some more than others.

The prospect of a new home for the Saipan Swim Club has its coach excited about the possibility of competing in new digs in time for the big event, but Michael Stewart said he will wait to see what happens before getting his hopes up too high.

While the local team performed admirably in the recent South Pacific Mini-Games when they brought home the lion’s share of the CNMI’s medals, the deteriorating conditions of the Kan Pacific Pool became more apparent when they returned from the Palau National Pool.

The estimated $909,000 listed in Babauta’s proposal included a new pump house, new pumps, public showers, locker rooms, storage, administrative offices, pool deck, piping, and a complete 50-meter pool renovation.

After spending the better part of his days at the facility, Stewart said he knows what needs to be done to rectify the situation and it wouldn’t be enough to apply a band-aid to the wounded pool.

Stewart said that the current facility is leaking large amounts of water, and if not for the continuous flow of replacement water, the level would drop somewhere between one to two inches per hour. The coach said that the money needed to repair the facility would be better spent on a new facility altogether.

“Money would be wasted if they renovated the [Kan Pacific pool] because the plumbing and the piping is so bad that if they fix it now they will have to redo it again in three to form years. There’s no way you can redo it so well that it will be like new. Mainly everything that has to be done is under the pool, and the combined cost would be the same as a new pool. This pool has just about had it,” he said.

The coach knows a thing or two about pools, as he oversaw the construction of the $7 million Myrtha facility in Sarasota for the area YMCA that is the same type used for the Olympic trials. While he hasn’t been contacted, Stewart said that he would happily offer his help during the design and planning stages.

While the cost of constructing a new facility on Saipan wouldn’t cost near that much, Stewart said that if the plans go ahead to build a new pool, it should be done correctly.

“$1.6 million will put it in—a state of the art facility. If it was centrally located it would be phenomenal for the swimming program in Saipan, not only for SSC, but for everyone. Ideally they should build a 50-meter pool for training and competition and a smaller pool for teaching since so many people need to learn how to swim,” he said.