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Hello Merrimack Families,

This is the last of our weekly updates for the season. We are thankful to have made it through the summer so successfully!

Closing Day is Sunday, October 4. The pool hours remain as follows on Wednesday afternoons and weekends with these modified hours:

  • Wednesday, September 30, 3:00pm-7:00pm
  • Saturday, September 26 & October 3, 10:00am-7:00pm
  • Sunday, September 27 & October 4, 10:00am-7:00pm

On Wednesday, Adult Swim will be 6:00pm-7:00pm. Open Swim hours (which include 3 lap lanes) will be 3:00pm-6:00pm. Weekend operations will remain the same, with Adult Swim at 10:00am-11:00am and 6:00pm-7:00pm. A reminder that the 1-hour slots are actually 45 minutes and the 30-minute slots are 25 minutes to allow for the pool to be cleared and cleaned.

Reservations for the entire remaining period September 27 – October 4 will open on Saturday, September 26 at approximately 10:00pm (please remember this is a manual process–if you see a password request that means we are readying the system to open).

  • From Saturday at 10:00pm through Sunday, you may make up to 3 reservations per swimmer.
  • As of Monday, you may make Same Day reservations, up to a limit of 7 total reservations in the period; this 7 includes the up-to-3 reservations made prior to Monday.
  • Reservations beyond these limits will be cancelled so check the My Reservations tab on your account management page to confirm the reservations you are holding real-time.
  • An entire Dive Well reservation will be cancelled if more than one family member is booked in a slot.
  • Please adhere to the booking rules – an individual should never have concurrent facility reservations.
  • If you cannot use a reservation, please cancel so that others can enjoy the pool.

Sea Devils use of Merrimack for group practices
As explained in our email earlier this week, we have entered into an agreement with The Capitol Sea Devils to permit them to use the pool for group swim practices, currently on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and then daily after our close on October 4.

We have received requests for additional pool time for member use, in light of the pool being in operation for Sea Devils. Unfortunately, we are unable to keep the pool open for member use past October 4. We are pleased to have extended our close date to October 4, which was a bit of a challenge in terms of staffing. Despite the abnormal circumstances for schools and other activities, we are unable to staff past October 4. Once we close on October 4, Sea Devils will take over basic maintenance of the pool during their use – and is fully qualified to do so – as well as the cost for pool chemicals and gas/heating expenses during their use. We/Georgetown Aquatics will provide no staffing or other maintenance until the final pool closure and winterization.

No Dog Swim
The dog days are over…. for this summer, at least. Unfortunately our traditional end-of-the-summer dog swim on closing day is yet another event forgone because of COVID-19.

We sincerely thank all members for their patience and cooperation this summer. It has been a challenge to run the pool and implement all the restrictions and changes necessary to enable the widest use possible. From lap swimming to group swim practices to group dive practices to sunbathing, we managed to offer a pretty full summer pool experience. Everyone’s cooperation and diligence in following the rules and protocols made it possible. And we thank and applaud our staff, particularly Clark Baugher of Georgetown Aquatics and pool managers Sam Gaffney and Gwen Parks, who helped maintain order and safety during this difficult summer. We are optimistic that this pandemic passes well in advance of next summer, and that we can resume our customary fun in the sun!

In the meantime, we hope the weather permits everyone to enjoy the last days of pool time, and that you will all be back for more next summer!

Swim Options At-a-Glance for September 27-October 4

Reminders:

  • If you have a reservation you are unable to use, please cancel the reservation to make the slot available to another swimmer. We receive many complaints about no-shows and will be monitoring those as well.
  • You can check the real-time status of your reservations from the My Reservations tab of your account management page. The reservation calendar works well on mobile devices and most browsers except Internet Explorer, AOL, and other older browsers. Try clearing your browsing history if the calendar does not load in a browser that has worked in the past (you can google to find how to clear browser history if you are unsure).
  • To check the pool operating status, visit the Twitter feed on the pool website or call the pool at 301-229-6579. Unfortunately, reservations lost during pool closures due to adverse weather conditions or for pool maintenance cannot be replaced.
  • A reminder that you should not arrive for your reservation before the time slot begins. Those with reservations from the previous time slot need to exit safely and the guards need time to clean.

HELPFUL LINKS

We encourage you to read or re-read the instructions on the Make a Reservation page and to review these helpful links.

If you did not use the pool this season but want to keep your account open for future years, click on the red unpaid banner to pay the assessment then select the $0 Season Waiver. Unpaid Equity Member accounts will have a Season Waiver balance due and Affiliate accounts will be closed post season.