‘Disappointing news’: Las Vegas gym operator closes pools
The Las Vegas Athletic Clubs have closed their lap pools indefinitely following an ongoing back-and-forth with regional health officials, the local gym operator announced Wednesday.
A sign posted at the Rainbow Boulevard location in northwest Las Vegas called the closures “disappointing.”
“As disappointing as this news is, we have been forced to close our pools by the Southern Nevada Health District,” according to notices posted at the gyms and on Instagram. “We intend to continue discussions with SNHD in an effort to come to an agreement with regard to their Aquatic Facility Regulations as it relates to their new lifeguard requirements for private health clubs.”
Spa services in the area have not been affected.
The pool closures come after a monthslong fight between LVAC and the SNHD over a lifeguard requirement. In June, the health district ruled that LVAC and other gyms are required to have lifeguards in their pools, citing, in part, the death of a 58-year-old woman who drowned at the LVAC’s North Decatur location on Feb. 4.
The gyms were granted an exemption from the lifeguarding rule in 2020, along with other gym brands in the valley. But the health district said this year the waivers weren’t “adequate to ensure the facilities were protecting the public.”
Health officials have asked management to set up an in-person lifeguarding program or close the pools. But gym management said the labor costs associated with hiring multiple lifeguards is too high.
In a news release, health district officials said LVAC submitted a lifeguard plan on Aug. 2 and revised it several times in the days after.
“Health District staff responded to LVAC’s proposed plan on August 6, noting it did not meet the requirements of the regulations, including requirements related to lifeguard staffing levels, assignment of duties and certifications,” according to the district’s news release. “Revised versions of LVAC’s lifeguard staffing plans were submitted on August 9, and August 15, but could not be approved due to incomplete information.”
Reached by phone Wednesday, President Chad Smith said gym management is still meeting with the health district to establish a compromise so the pools can operate in a modified capacity, such as limited hours.
LVAC sued the health district to maintain its lifeguarding requirement waiver in June, but a district court judge denied LVAC’s request on July 23. The lawsuit is ongoing.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.