Renovations at Palo Alto Gym keep students from class

The natatorium and basketball gym at Palo Alto College have been closed for the first week of classes for renovations.

Scuba divers are doing renovations on the natatorium today, and the pool is expected to reopen Tuesday.

The basketball gym has been closed since Aug. 18 for resurfacing the floors.

John Libby, intramural specialist at the college, said the floors are completed and drying.

He said, for now, the three basketball classes are exercising outdoors or in the weight room.

Anna Bustamante, chair of the kinesiology and health department at the college, said students are doing a combination of assessments and lectures while the facilities are closed.

"They are doing a pre-assessment to see where their current level of health-related fitness is," Bustamante said. "They're also doing lectures where they learn the foundations of their class."

She said all kinesiology classes have two-part labs that are usually broken up throughout the semester, but this semester, students are doing the assessment and lecture up front.

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Andres Cruz, kinesiology sophomore who is enrolled in a beginning swimming course, 20, said, "I would rather be in the pool."

Cruz said his professor told him the pool would be done Aug. 31.

"My question is why didn't they put a rush on this if they knew about it during the summer?"

The natatorium is undergoing two main renovations to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.

The act was passed December 2008 requiring all commercial and semi-commercial aquatic facilities to have VGB compliant drain grates.

Ryan Cantu, president of Aquatic Renovations and Services Inc. and certified scuba diver, said, "I am putting in new drain covers and retrofitting the plumbing to meet the regulations and VGB compliant."

As the diver prepared to go underwater, he said, "The drains might be identical to the approved ones, but they aren't stamped."

Jason Cherry, Aquatica Pool Management Inc., the subcontractor nearby for safety and rescue, explained that the diver was tied to the rope he was holding and was wearing a 30-pound weight belt.

"I'm holding it fairly tight so if something goes wrong I can feel him tug," Cherry said.

He said they were using this method because the rented radio wasn't working.

While the diver was 18 feet underwater, Cherry pulled the compressor cord for more leeway, which was feeding the diver oxygen through his mask, and the cord came unplugged.

Cherry quickly ran to the wall to plug it back in as Cantu swam upward.

Back at the surface, Cantu said, "Oh, I'm fine. That's what I'm trained for. During training, they tell us to take your last breath and swim up to the surface."

Renovations were expected to be finished today, but the diver said the plans he was shown were slightly different than what was underwater.

"There are minor variations in the measurements," he said. "This changes the game plan a little, but we should be done by tomorrow."

The natatorium is scheduled to reopen Tuesday for classes, but no open swim for the next week or two, according to a spokesman for Adrian Montoya, special event coordinator and coach.

For more information, call the natatorium office at 486-3800.