OREM — The new SCERA park pool is a hit with children, but neighbors to the aquatic complex have mixed reactions.
Since its opening Saturday, children have packed the 1,200-person capacity pools. But the new attraction brings added noise and traffic to the already-busy SCERA Park neighborhood.
"Monday was insane," said Steve Cherrington, who lives in the neighborhood, referring to capacity Memorial Day crowds.
Cars lined State Street and local side streets, forcing some residents to worry about safely pulling out of their driveways.
"It's been packed," said Teri Sundberg, who also lives and works nearby. "But I think once the newness wears out it's going to be OK. There is a trade-off for everything. We can live with the cars."
Some residents say there aren't enough parking spaces in front of the facility. But Mike Johnson, facilities manager at the pools, says the parking is up to code.
Increased noise is also a concern, but Sundberg said the pools are so close to State Street that the noise of the cars rushing by muffles any sounds from the pools.
The complex blacked out dates of SCERA Outdoor Shell main events, banning any group reservations. This will help mitigate traffic and noise concerns, Johnson said.
"We want to be good neighbors in that sense and make sure the park is conducive to all the activities and elements citywide," Johnson said.
Originally the city had planned on locating the pool at a city park near SCERA Park Elementary School. More than 1,200 residents signed a petition in opposition to the chosen location. Under intense pressure, the council purchased land where the old SCERA pool sat for 40 years.
"Had they placed it where they originally planned it would have been a nightmare," said Tom Carter, principal of the school. "It would have been about 30 feet off my corner of the school."
Residents seem content to live with the traffic and noise as a trade-off for the the city moving the location of the pool away from the school.
"We're just so happy it's not where it was going to be," Cherrington said.
The neighborhood is used to traffic, Julie Siebach said. People have packed the park for years with events at the SCERA Outdoor Shell and other recreational activities happening every night.
"Cars park on the streets all the time. The pool is just an addition to the equation," Siebach said. "Somebody had to live on the edge of it, and it happened to be us."
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