Mayor Lauren Meister and Councilman John Erickson enjoyed the pool on the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center’s opening day Aug. 13. (photo by Jon Viscott)

The West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center officially opened to the public with a kick-off event on Aug. 13, but less than two months later the pools temporarily closed on Oct. 10. The city announced the closure in advance, on Oct. 4, citing the reason as final construction “punch list” items.

The list includes reworking tile in the bathrooms, installation of lane-line anchors, waterproofing corrections, additional striping and repairs to drain structures in the pools. According to a statement from the city, “such items and remaining fixes, additions and/or changes are typical and often expected at the near-completion of construction projects.”

“The work is limited to the pools and pool level and does not include closure of the full facility,” West Hollywood director of public works Steve Campbell said. “It is intended to complete remedial work that was either identified on the punch list provided to the general contractor at the time of closeout or has been discovered since closeout and is considered warranty work.”

Campbell added that the closure does not mean the facility wasn’t ready to be opened to the public in August.

“It was ready for public use, and the city phased in the opening over several months. Some warranty issues were not known at the time and only rise to the level of requiring correction after the facility goes through a period of active use,” he added.

Resident Michael Lenglez has been using the pool several times a week.

“The pool view is incredible,” Lenglez said. “But, of course, you could see there were a lot of things that were not finished.”

Lenglez praised the city, though, for its transparency in updating patrons of the closure.

“There was plenty of announcements about the closure. They sent emails and posted everywhere. So, people are disappointed, but it is a great addition to West Hollywood. It’s one of the best adult pools I’ve ever seen.”

Campbell wanted to assure residents the closures are temporary and will not be an ongoing issue.

“This is remedial and warranty work, that when completed to the satisfaction of the city, will not be subject to reoccurrence,” Campbell said. “There is no reason for concern, and this work should be considered routine. Staff has worked closely with the contractors that will be completing the work to minimize the disruption to as short of a period as possible. We are excited to put this magnificent facility back into full use for our West Hollywood family.”