Facilities Closures

• The East Center pool is closed on Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13 to accommodate the GVR Aquabelles’ performance.
• The Las Campanas’ meeting rooms are being painted from September 15–26. Please note: Restrooms remain open during this time. The closures are scheduled as follows:
  • September 15–19: Cottonwood and Acacia rooms
  • September 22–26: Ironwood room and hallway

• On Monday, September 15 at 5:30am, Desert Hills patrons will once again be welcome to enjoy the pool, spa, and renovated locker rooms. The sauna will reopen later after a repair. Some finishing touches will occur after reopening. With a fresh coat of paint on the building and updated equipment for the pool, the place is looking sharp and operating smoothly. 
• The Abrego South pool, spa, and shower room buildings are temporarily closed. Shuffleboard , horseshoes, and sand volleyball are open and restrooms are available via the rec room. Drop-in users should anticipate traffic through the rec room.

• The pool at Santa Rita Springs is looking fine with new plaster, new tile, and a refreshed pool deck surface. New furniture is expected late next week. Yesterday, thanks to a hose loan from the Santa Rita Fire District, Pool Tech Juan Lopez filled her up in a matter of hours. Over the next few days, the dust and sediment will be vacuumed out, the plaster will fully cure, and the water chemistry will be balanced. 

  Replastering and resurfacing pool decks is disruptive but required maintenance. We appreciate your patience and hope you are as pleased with the results at Santa Rita Springs as Juan is. Barring unforeseen complications, we are on track to reopen the pool at 8am on September 15.

   

Abrego South pool updates

August 5, 2025

The pool and spa at Abrego South were closed on July 10 due to a significant water leak. For the third time in nine months, the supply line to the spa had broken. A supply line to the autofill for the pool was also leaking.

For the past two years, staff have kept a careful eye on the increasing cracks in the shower building and the heaving concrete on the pool deck. Every time there was a leak, these conditions would worsen. Between the end of May and the July 10 closure, the conditions worsened considerably.

In mid-July, staff toured the site with inspectors from the Santa Rita Fire District. SRFD consulted with Pima County building inspectors, who determined that at this time, the shower building is not occupiable.

Suspecting subsidence under the center, GVR contracted with Ninyo and Moore Geotechnical Consultants to conduct an assessment of the site. However, after a thorough initial inspection, the consultants feel that subsidence is unlikely. The nearly 50-year-old pool was probably built on improperly compacted soils (common in the 70s) and is showing typical signs of being at the end of its life. Its age, cracks in the plaster, heaving of the deck, and chronic plumbing ruptures all indicate that the pool is failing. On Friday, August 15, Ninyo and Moore technicians will pull several core samples from the pool deck and surrounding area to tell us if the site is built on soils that can be properly compacted for future building. Omni Pool Builders (the contractor currently refitting the Desert Hills equipment) will assess the site and share their recommendations.

If it seems that the pool can be repaired, GVR will then hire a structural engineer to provide advice on repairing or replacing the shower building.

With all this information in hand, staff will develop recommended options for the GVR Board of Directors to consider for the future of the Abrego South aquatics facilities. If the pool is failing but the soils are sound, the staff plan to recommend replacement of the pool and spa. If a new pool is needed, Abrego South pool users will be consulted on their preferences before a new facility is designed.

Lightning and Pool Closures

GVR closes pools and clears pool decks whenever lightning is detected within five miles. The information can be found in the Corporate Policy Manual (CPM):

1.2.8 Special Uses, E. GVR Pool Management Policies

• GVR pools shall operate in compliance with Pima County Code Title 8, Chapter 8.322, Swimming Pool and Spas,” and any other applicable Pima County regulations.
• GVR staff has authority to close a swimming pool or spa if they determine that its operation and use presents danger to individuals.
• GVR determines when to close indoor and outdoor swimming pools and spas as a safety precaution.
  • Both outdoor and indoor pools will be evacuated before or when lightning is within five miles.
  • At the first signs of thunder or lightning occurring within five miles of an aquatic facility, all pool decks will close until 30 minutes after the last observed thunder or lightning.

Service Animals

Reminder: Only trained, working ADA service animals are allowed on GVR property. These animals are specifically trained to perform tasks for individuals with disabilities and must remain under their handler’s control at all times. Handlers are expected to ensure their service animal is well-behaved. Please note that therapy animals, emotional support animals, and pets are not permitted.

Lost and Found

GVR West Center Box Office at 1111 GVR Drive, 520-625-0288 (Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm)

Lost Something? We might have it. High-value items like jewelry, wallets, and electronics have been turned in and are waiting to be claimed. Valuables are held at the Box Office for 60 days. Everyday items such as towels and water bottles are held at the center where they were left behind, then donated after two weeks. Hygiene items and supplies are discarded. All donations go to the White Elephant. The Desert Hills poker room and boxing gym will reopen and the fitness center will again be accessible via the pool deck sometime next week.early