Men's locker room is looking stark.

Beginning Thursday, May 28, both the women's and men's lockers will be removed and shortly afterward new lockers will be installed.  The new lockers are coming from the University School and they are in excellent condition - many have never been opened.  University School is renovating and fortuitously the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center will be the beneficiary! The estimated value of the locker donation is $60,000-$70,000 and the cost to move them will be about $10,000.  We are currently seeking donors to help with the bathroom renovations, carpet replacement, and new benches for the locker rooms.

Participants are strongly encouraged to remove all of their belongings and locks no later than Wednesday, May 27 PM and thereafter, bring their equipment on a daily basis.  As more information is available about locker room closings we'll get it out.  The YMCA has agreed to allow our participants to utilize their locker rooms but have asked that we restrict our use to the age appropriate spaces.

This a great first step toward the goal of significantly remodeling both the women's and men's locker rooms.

Phased Capital Campaign Strategy

Our two-phase capital campaign consists of the following:

The Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center will be getting several important repairs / renovations this fall. This spring and summer a roofing consulting firm evaluated the facility's roof and deemed it relatively sound which was very welcome news. The plan is to replace sections

pardon the lack of formatting for the caption

old gutter covers removed

16 big new blocks arrived today

new gutter covers out of the box and into place

really big PVC pipe at the ready in the basement

the new Neptune - Benson "defender" filter got down the stairs and the three huge and very rusty sand filters got cut up, the sand sucked out and the pieces removed. the new unit is about 2/3 the size of just one of the three old tanks!

Pool Doctors is doing a lot of great work

When the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center is closed on August 9th for repairs and maintenance, we plan to acid wash the tank, do the regular tile work with re-grouting, the stainless gutter system will be reformed, repaired and in some sections replaced altogether. The big sand filters will be removed and the new Neptune Benson Defender filter will be installed. Also to be installed will be an Ultra Violet Light system that will allow us to maintain "drinking water quality" conditions and maintain very low amounts of chlorine - there will be a noticeable difference in water & air quality, affects on skin, suits and facility hardware. After the pool is re-filled, the old bulkheads will be removed and the the new ones from a Washington - based company, Stark, will be delivered. 16 new blocks will be added with modern and much larger tops - we'll keep the old ones for training and diving from the bulkhead during training.

below is a piece about the Defender filter system:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
June R. Holaday
Marketing Manager
Tel: 401-821-2200
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


DEFENDER™ FILTERS PROVIDE RECORD-SETTING POOL WATER AT
THE 2008 OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALS IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA

Coventry, RI (July 21, 2008) — Neptune-Benson, Inc., leading manufacturer of commercial pool filtration systems, is the proud supplier of Defender™ filters for the 2008 Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

Award-winning Defender™ regenerative media filtration systems were used on both the competition pool and warm-up pool at the trials held at the Qwest Center from June 29 through July 6, 2008. Each pool held approximately 1 million gallons of water and recirculated with a turnover rate of 4 hours.

To ensure impeccable water quality, aquatic designers selected Defender™ for its ability to remove particles down to one-micron. Neptune-Benson’s President, Barry Gertz says, “Our utmost consideration was to provide a healthy environment for the athletes. In this high profile competitive venue, superior filtration was a mandate to ensure the fastest pool possible.” Defender™ reduces water, energy and chemical costs making it the logical choice for sustainability and green-building.

Harold Cliff, Chief Operating Officer for the 2008 US Olympic Team Trials for Swimming noted, “The Defender™ filters utilized by the organizing committee provided sparkling clear water for both pools and was especially noticeable under the high intensity lighting provided for NBC television. The quality of water forms the basis for a great event, and the Olympic Trials pools water set the stage for just that.” Cliff continued, “The USA Olympic Trials-Swimming held in Omaha, Nebraska may well go down in history as one of the greatest swimming competitions ever held.”

The superior water quality was enjoyed by more than 1,200 swimmers. By the end of the week 9 world records were set (the most since the 1976 trials), 21 American records were set (tying a record set in 1968) and 43 swimmers were named to the US Olympic Swim Team. More than 160,000 attended the trials — another new record.

For more information on Defender™ filters, visit www.DefenderFilter.com.

About Neptune-Benson, Inc.
Founded in 1956, Neptune-Benson has become a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of aquatic components. With more than 6,000 installations worldwide, Neptune-Benson is proud to offer the industry's most comprehensive line of filtration equipment, pool recirculation systems and aquatic components backed by unsurpassed technical service and product guarantees.

Our Defender™ Automatic Regenerative Media Filter has become extremely popular as the earth-friendly solution for pristine pool water - saving millions of gallons of water and waste, saving chemicals, fuel costs and energy and saving costly space. From Australia to Dubai and across the US, aquatic professionals have selected Defender™.