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Osage Prairie Y reopens pool in limited fashion
After a four-month hiatus, the Osage Prairie YMCA opened its swimming pool in a limited fashion this week.
The pool has been shutdown since the onset of the global health pandemic in March.
The pool reopened Wednesday for programming directly related to YMCA youth summer camp attendees, as well as water aerobic classes.. It's also open for Nevada Tridents youth swim team practices.
The pool, however, will not reopen to the general public until next Monday (July 27), according to Osage Prairie YMCA Director Jeff Snyder. The general public in this case excludes guest passes, and is limited to members only for the time being.
"We're going to stick primarily with programming to start with, and then we'll kind of figure out what works best with open swim times," Snyder said. "We'll kind of figure out where the open swim (times) for general swim falls into play. We will have to figure out where that one fits."
Snyder noted that the pool has undergone some recent maintenance, and is sound mechanically. "We're ready to go, and get people back in the water," he said.
Due to the city pool's summer shutdown, local youth missed out on their summer swim program.
"A lot of the summer swim kids just didn't have a place to go," Snyder began. "A lot of those who have swimming as their favorite activity have not been in the water since February. So, it's been a while for kids, and I know they're itching to get back into it."
Snyder said the Y pool reopening is also hugely beneficial for older adults.
"A lot of your older adults, yes, there's health concerns with Covid. But they have bigger health concerns, that they have to get active and mobile," he said. "And water aerobics and so forth is their only means to do so. So it's pick the lesser of two evils there. Are they going to risk the Covid? Or are they going to risk the sedentary lifestyle?"
Snyder continued: "We're playing a pretty big role for a lot of members in the community, and it's important that we're cautious and do the things that we can. But we have to continue to offer things for people."
Snyder said the pandemic has created a revenue shortfall. As a direct result the Y is not able to offer the same volume of programming they were prior to the pandemic, and are also not offering guest passes at the current time.
"We were down 25 percent in our revenue alone," Snyder said. "So, we're not going to be able to operate at the same capacity. But we recognize that it is important for some people, with their health goals in mind, and health benefits that come with it, that we have to offer something for some. But it's just not going to be the same, like it was open-to-close previously.
"So we're just going to have to be strategic in our (offerings), and our scheduling with that. We just have to be socially responsible as much as possible, until we navigate through all of this, and hopefully we start to see more membership coming back in."
Protocols
While some workout facilities across America require face-coverings due to Covid-19, Osage Prairie does not.
"What you're seeing a lot of times with these masks, is the oxygen restriction," Snyder explained. "When it comes to exercising and working out, it creates a lot of limitations. And a lot of times it creates a little bit more of a challenge for people, if they have some of those respiratory issues — of not getting the proper oxygen levels by wearing the mask. It's kind of one of those — you're darned if you do, you're darned if you don't."
As outlined in an article that ran in the July 23 edition of the Daily Mail, the Osage Prairie staff takes every precaution as far as maintaining a germ-free environment.
"I have been going to the Y five days a week since they re-opened after the stay-at-home order," said local resident, Steve Russ. "I feel more safe at the Y than probably anywhere else. "
Added Russ: "They provide me with a disinfectant spray and towel to wipe down anything I touch prior to using, and after I use it. They also have staff cleaning equipment during the day — (and) there is plenty of space to social distance."
Despite Missouri recording record daily Covid cases over the past week, Snyder remains confident Osage Prairie is on the right track as far as safety precautions.
'We're going to continue doing what we do," he said. 'Making sure the place is clean, disinfected."
As mentioned in the July 23 article, a recent confirmed positive case of Covid was contract-traced back to the Y, July 14-15. Snyder said while some people may have formulated an opinion that the individual caught the illness at Osage Prairie, he does not believe that to be the case.
"We're not going to be over-reactive to a case," he said. "I'm actually surprised we haven't seen one before now. (or), we probably have, and just didn't know it. And this isn't going to be the last one, and we know that. So we're doing a due diligence to make sure this place is clean, and we're constantly cleaning."