Hi Stingrays!

We are excited, no ECSTATIC, to share some news with you today!

Here is an email just in from our Aquatic Director, Emily Caffry:

 

“Dear . . . parents,

We are excited to announce that we will be investing in an Ultraviolet Sanitation System for both of our pools, to be installed starting next week. We are also moving forward with replacing our sand filtration system with state of the art glass filtration media, to be installed in March. These two major projects will both work to reduce chloramines, which will improve water quality and cleanliness, as well as air quality in the pool areas. We remain committed to providing the best aquatics facility we can. 

The . . . time for the UV installation is minimal and should not affect swim teams. The  . . . [closure] for the filter replacement remains the same (afternoon of March 7 and all day March 8). 

Thank you all for your support, patience, and dedication this swim season! Best of luck to all as we head into championship season.” 

 

Stingrays, please know that this is not a small thing. The Y is making a MAJOR investment in the aquatic facilities at the Augusta campus, which will take our already enviable facility to a whole new level! As Emily mentioned, the UV sanitation system and the glass filtration media are state-of-the-art technology. We believe that the UV sanitation system and the glass filtration media, along with a new emphasis on education and enforcement of pool hygiene (e.g., shower first, urine belongs in the toilet, pool deck preventives and maintenance, etc.), will put our current water and air quality concerns (i.e., chloramine levels) in “the rearview mirror.” To be clear, chloramines are always present in any chlorinated pool in use, but the aforementioned interventions will likely reduce them to negligible levels. The “chloramine battle” is currently being fought around the country . . . We are thrilled that our own KVY is on the front lines leading the charge.

Please be sure to express your appreciation to the KVY leadership team. Tom, Ranae, Scott and Emily have been working long and hard to resolve our concerns. In addition, if you know a KV YMCA Board member, please share your gratitude with them as well. The solutions being implemented were well-researched, we networked and consulted with many organizations/institutions (both locally and nationally), decisions were made and pencils were sharpened to make finances available for major expenditures. 

Finally, and please know that the Y did not ask me to include this, if you have monies set aside for “charitable contributions,” please consider designating a gift toward the UV system for the competition pool, which directly benefits our Stingray swimmers, coaches and families (and many others). The Y has been a wonderful part of our family since coming to Augusta, and they serve our community in countless ways! It would be amazing if we could demonstrate some Stingray appreciation with a gift, great or small, to support their ongoing efforts.

Happy to hear from you, as always . . . Thoughts, questions, concerns?

“We are so happy” ​ . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPg5LjGYz8

See you at the pool,

Gary & Kristy 

​