Politics & Government
Aquatic Center Grand Opening Pushed To June
Although officials had been hoping to hold the event over the Memorial Day weekend, the possibility of a vendor issue prompted them to "build in a cushion of time."
The grand opening of the Palm Desert Aquatic Center will be held on Saturday, June 11, city officials said.
“To be prudent, we’re not scheduling the grand opening event for Memorial Day weekend as we had hoped at one point,” city spokesman David Hermann said. “The city is still shooting to have the facility up and running that weekend, but we’re better off scheduling the grand opening a little bit later."
Hermann said Palm Desert officials went with the June 11 date after a project contractor said that one of its suppliers – a Tennessee company that manufactures water pumps – was forced to shut down operations in the wake of severe flooding in the area.
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Heavy rains pummeled large areas of Tennessee last month, causing widespread flooding and property damage.
Hermann added that the vendor had told the contractor that they’d never missed a deadline.
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“Apparently they’re doing their best to try to meet our needs and enable us to stay on track,” he said. “But prudence dictates we build in a cushion of time in case they are unable to meet their commitment.”
When completed, the $8 million Palm Desert Aquatic Center at Civic Center Park will feature an Olympic-sized pool as part of a 7,000-square-foot facility that will include separate changing rooms for men, women and families, as well as a refreshment area and community multipurpose room.
The YMCA of the Desert will operate the facility.
