Pool at Don Nasser Family Plaza unexpectedly closes

SF State Biology Professor Zachary He dedicates an hour in his schedule between classes to swim every day, but today his routine was thrown off. 

Wednesday, swimmers were met with an empty swimming pool and no lifeguards after the pool at Don Nasser Family Plaza closed unexpectedly.

The doors to the gymnasium’s pool were locked; people could enter the pool through the locker rooms, but found no notices to explain the closure. 

“This is usually a well-organized pool,” He said. “Very friendly, very good lifeguards. But today for some reason there must have been a miscommunication.” 

SF State’s Campus Recreation Department posted an Instagram story shortly after 4 p.m. announcing that the pool was closed for the day, four hours after the pool was supposed to open. 

The usual hours at the Don Nasser pool are from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Students and staff have been using the pool at Don Nasser Family Plaza since the start of the Fall semester because the Mashouf Wellness Center’s pool closed in May “due to repairs,” according to an Instagram post from the Campus Recreation Department.

“We don’t know what’s going on or what’s going to happen,” He said. “What’s the problem, what’s the estimated repair time when we could have the facility back? It’s surprising not knowing what’s going on.”

Mashouf opened in 2017, making it one of the newest wellness centers among the CSUs. 

According to the Director of Campus Recreation Michael Wong, there is no estimated reopening date for the MWC’s pool.

“There was an issue with backflow preventer for the water intake that led to a host of other problems in the control room,” Wong wrote in an email. “Unfortunately the pool does need to be closed until these issues are addressed.”

SF State student Dan Hernandez was another person trying to use the pool today. He said the key differences between the two pools was the locker rooms.

At Don Nasser, there is a $15 semester fee for locker access, compared to free-for-members locker access at the MWC. Hernandez also noted that MWC’s pool is easier to swim in due to its deeper depths. 

“The Mashouf Center is a lot cleaner, the locker rooms are newer, it’s easier to access,” Hernandez said. “[In the gymnasium pool] it’s very quiet and doesn’t feel the same. It doesn’t feel as new, clean and fresh.”