Rec Center begins three-phase opening

NORWALK — The Ernsthausen Recreation Center began its three-phase opening this week by opening for business hours on Monday. For the rest of this week, Norwalk residents can come to the rec center to ask questions, sign up for passes or memberships. Pool reservations will begin June 17, two days ahead of the re-opening of the indoor and outdoor pools on June 19. When the Rec does re-open, superintendent Joe Lindenberger said people will be surprised at how many improvements have been made since the center closed on March 13. "The building is looking pristine," Lindenberger said. "Better than it's looked in 20-plus years. We want people to come back to a facility they're proud of." The improvements include new workout equipment, new carpet, a re-finished gym floor (though Lindenberger said he does not know when the track and gym will re-open), new lockers, a renovated hot tub, new wood in the sauna room new coats of paint on several walls and more. Lindenberger said the projects finished during this spring's shut down will not just replace the typical August shutdown, but could shorten future August shutdowns. "Some of these improvements are going to last 10, 15 years," he said. Lindenberger's major challenge this summer is not a renovation, though. It's opening Ernsthausen's pools to the public. Most public pools are staying closed this summer for two reasons, according to Linderberger. For one, they don't want to manage the complicated safety concerns surrounding a socially-distanced public pool. And for two, most public pools cost their owners money. What makes the Ernthuasen pools different in Lindenberger's estimation is the attachment to the rec center and he said he feels obligated to keep them open during the summer months. "We feel that we're going to be the exception to the rule," Lindenberger said. "We're kind of a unicorn, we're an anomaly. People have memberships for multiple reasons, including the use of our outdoor pool. We want people to maintain their memberships and keep coming back. "We feel that we owe it to our residents and, quite frankly, people need things to do. So if we can do things safely and effectively, we're gonna do them." To keep the pools safe, Enrthausen is limiting its outdoor pool capacity to 55 (down from 300), its therapy pool capacity to 13 (down from "a lot more than 13"), its lap pool capacity to one person per lane (six lanes), and hot tub capacity to two (down from four). The outdoor pool will be be open in two-hour windows to ensure different groups can use it. Between two-hour windows, the rec center will allot one hour for families to leave and staffers to sanitize frequently-touched surfaces. Members will be prioritized in the reservation process. Lindenberger knows that taking reservations will be "a nightmare" for his staff, but he said he believes it's the most fair system to accommodate pool demand. "If we don't take reservations, you can't have a capacity of 55 people for your outdoor pool and it be 100 degrees out and 300 people show up," he said. "You're turning away hundreds of people. "Last summer on community free days, we had 500 people. It was chaos in the zoo." Those concerns are still two-plus weeks away. For now, Lindenberger and the rest of the Ernsthausen staff is focused on prepping for next week's Phase 2, when weight and cardio rooms will open. Machines will be spread six feet apart. Some cardio equipment will be moved into the aerobic room (group classes are still canceled). They'll be ready for their members to return. And Lindnenberger suspects the members are ready, too. "We're gonna do everything we can to keep people safe," Lindenberger said. "People are creatures of habit. They miss this place. There's probably hundreds of people where this is part of their daily routine. It's part of their quality of life and they miss it. They'll be here the day we open."