MESQUITE — Mesquite’s Recreation Center is a popular destination for people to take a variety of classes, swim or participate in leagues with annual usage growing since its opened in 1999 to over 100,000 visits in 2015 and while growth is gratifying, City Manager Andy Barton said it brings challenges.
The facility, open seven days a week, includes two full-size gymnasiums, two racketball courts, both indoor and outdoor heated pools, showers, lockers, fitness-aerobics and dance room, ping pong tables and a synthetic soccer field, according to its Web page.
Lifeguards
One of the city’s challenges has been finding lifeguards for the pool. Over the past few months, according to the city’s news release, there have been a handful of times when the pool has been closed because no lifeguards were available.
“Over the last few weeks, we have been able to hire enough lifeguards (to) have the pool open for regular hours,” Mesquite Athletics and Leisure Services Director Nick Montoya said. “That being said, we still need more lifeguards, especially in the mornings and early afternoon.”
Lifeguard applications and job requirements are available on the city’s website. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older.
There are both many job and training opportunities.
“If you are interested in the position but lack the proper training,” Montoya said, “please contact the Rec Center and we can direct you to training opportunities.”
Maintenance
High usage of the building also impacts the building equipment despite the city’s preventive maintenance program that aims to extend the life of all its equipment. One example of this is the recent work done on the pool heater.
“We know that the pool heater is getting near the end of its usable life and will need to be replaced in the next few years,” Montoya said. “In an effort to save money and extend the life of the equipment, we had specially trained technicians come in and service the heater; thus, extending the life of the heater another few years.”
Wear and tear
Increased usage comes with increased general wear and tear on the facility. In order to help keep the facility in excellent condition, a nightly crew cleans the whole building every night. Additionally, staff members help clean their respective areas of responsibility throughout the day.
Twice a year, the facility shuts down and is deep-cleaned.
Barton summed up the challenges:
“There are many demands on city resources, which are frankly limited due to diminished revenues. I have asked each of our directors to do more with less. It has proven to be difficult, but Athletics and Leisure Services consistently rises to the challenge. There are more visitors to the Rec Center than ever before, but they are still able to provide excellent service, albeit with a smaller budget.”
Resources
- Mesquite Recreation Center | 100 West Old Mill Road, Mesquite | Telephone 702-346-8732
- Hours and information: Mesquite Recreation Center Web page
Email: [email protected]
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