Hollister Parks & Recreation has canceled its second consecutive summer of water programs, according to an employee of the department.
“Aquatics is canceled,” said J.C. Clayton, a recreational coordinator. “It’s basically for the same reason as last year.”
When initially questioned, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez had not heard the program would be closed and said he would need to look into it.
Clayton recalled that the decision to cancel the program was made last week, she said. San Benito High School has two pools, a small one that adults can stand in and a larger one, Clayton explained.
In the past, the city has used San Benito High School’s outdoor pool facility for summer swim programs, but last year that wasn’t the case. The campus’ pools were drained after the district received a “cease and desist notice” about discharging chlorinated water into the storm drain, a practice that is no longer legal. There were also issues with the pools’ plaster surfaces. Last year, swimmers and their parents helped get the larger pool reopened to sports teams but the smaller one stayed drained and empty.
“We typically use the smaller pool with our activities or lessons,” Clayton said.
Kollin Kosmicki contributed to this report.
