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Parents of Pompano Beach swim team press city for covered dry‑land training space
Summary
Multiple parents and coaches asked the City Commission to find a short‑term covered dry‑land training area at the Pompano Beach Aquatic Center, citing heat, cancellations and athletes’ needs; staff said the idea may fit the city’s CIP but no commitment was made.
Dozens of Pompano Beach parents and swim coaches urged the City Commission on Sept. 23 to create a covered, dry‑land training space at the city’s aquatic center, saying current conditions force young athletes to train in extreme heat or cancel sessions.
Swim‑team parents said the problem is acute for the Pompano Beach Piranhas, which they said has more than 200 swimmers. “When the pool closes due to weather, our swimmers have nowhere to train,” parent Belem Gomeziani said. “Without a covered gym space, they are forced to exercise on the pool deck in dangerous heat and lose valuable training time.”
The requests reached the commission during the public‑comment portion of the Sept. 23 meeting. Parents and guardians said land‑based training — strength, mobility and injury‑prevention work — is essential to competitive swimming but that the team lacks a sheltered place to do it. Tara McCafferty, who described her son as an 11‑year‑old Piranha, said coaches already prepared a training analysis and that the lack of an adjacent covered space reduces athletes’ consistency and growth.
“Swimming is one of the most affordable organized sports here,” McCafferty said. “We are asking for a short‑term solution of a covered sheltered workout facility somewhere within the premises of the aquatic center or possibly a solution at the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center nearby.”
Parent Christina Rishon added that special‑needs athletes are affected: her son, who uses hearing aids, can become overheated and damage the devices when strength training is done on an uncovered pool deck. “This excessive sweat gets in his hearing aids… He’s not able to hear instructions properly,” she said.
Recreation staff have discussed the proposal with parents. In public comment, Gomeziani said Recreation Director Scott Moore noted the idea “may be a good fit for the city CIP.” Staff did not offer a timeline or make a funding commitment at the meeting. Several parents offered to help with community input, partnerships or funding ideas.
Commissioners responded with interest but no formal action. Vice Mayor Allison Fournier noted she had received information on the proposal and said staff should follow up; no motion to allocate funds or start design work was made during the Sept. 23 meeting.
Why this matters: several speakers said the lack of a covered dry‑land facility reduces practice time, risks equipment damage for athletes with hearing aids, and places Pompano swimmers at a competitive disadvantage compared with programs that already have such spaces. Parents asked for either a short‑term covered structure near the aquatic center or use of nearby civic facilities while the city considers longer‑term construction.
Next steps: staff indicated the idea could be considered for the Capital Improvement Program but did not provide a schedule. Parents requested a follow‑up meeting and offered to supply design input and potential partnerships.
Speakers quoted in this article are attendees from the public‑comment section of the Sept. 23 Pompano Beach City Commission meeting and are listed in the recorded minutes of that meeting.
