Newly Renovated Pool Is Impressive, Overall

The newly opened William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center, still commonly known as the Capitol East Natatorium, has the look, the class and, yes, the kind of pool you would expect after a 17-month closure and $3 million renovation.

Renamed after the well-known educator and former director of the D.C. Recreation Department, the Center, located next to Eastern Market, opened its doors for the first time in nearly a year and a half to local residents on Friday, Sept. 5.

Although the renovation has caused some controversy, including complaints from neighboring homeowners about the new rooftop stainless steel ducts and fans not fitting into the historic surroundings, many residents are glad to see a modern swimming pool opened up in their part of the city.

Last Thursday, my wife, Beth, and I walked 15 minutes to the Aquatic Center, to find out just how good the swimming could be.

Overall, we were impressed.

After paying a $3 fee at the door, I stowed my clothes in one of the brand new lockers for a quarter, took a warm shower in the sparkling clean shower area with hand-free automatic faucets and entered the pool area.

I am not a good swimmer, but with one lifeguard on each end of the pool, I didn't hesitate to plunge into the seven-foot-deep pool.

We noticed the difference immediately. The water actually didn't taste like chlorine as it did in the old pool. Although I would have liked the water a little warmer, Beth had no complaints, and others also seemed to be very much enjoying the lap swimming.

One complaint swimmers did have, however, was that the pool got a little crowded. There were as many as four or five swimmers in one lane, and therefore we were told to circle along the edge of the lane. A local resident said it was his third visit to the pool since it reopened, and it wasn't too crowded his previous two times. But on this particular Thursday, only a third of the big pool was available to the general public, as much of the pool was being used by a swim team and a water aerobic class.

Sean Link, assistant manager of the Aquatic Center, explained that both water aerobic class and team swimming take place in the pool between 6:30 and 7:30 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, leaving only part of the pool for general swimming. But he said that it shouldn't be very crowded after 8 p.m. on those days. Mr. Link also suggested other good times for swimming: between 6 and 9 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

The complete hours, as posted on the window at the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center, are:

Monday-Friday: 6:30-9 a.m., noon-5 p.m. and 6-9:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

From Oct. 13 to sometime in December, the pool will be closed for swimming classes from 1-5 p.m. on weekends and from 7-8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The fee schedule for D.C. residents is: ages 5 and under, free; ages 6-17, $1; regular admission, $3; ages 55 and over, $2.

Discounts are available for 10-time use and season passes.

Though the Aquatic Center offers water aerobic and swimming classes, residents have to go online (http://www.dcpr.dc.gov), call the centralized service center (671-4135) or visit one of the designated recreation centers to register. The process can be frustrating. Even if you decide to call for registration, you still need to go online first to get a customer ID to use the registration system.

But if you type "swimming class" in the Web site's search area, you should get the appropriate page for registration. If you don't have Web access, you will have to visit a designated recreation center to register for a class. The closest recreation center to the Corner Forum area is the Rosedale Recreation Center, at 17th & Gales Streets NE, 727-3493.

The William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center is located at 635 North Carolina Ave. SE. The phone number is 724-4496. §