By ADAM STEWART

News editor

For the first time since it opened in 2008, the pool at the USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center has been drained.

It will be closed for repainting and some minor repairs. Over time, the paint has worn down.

“Use is the only reason we’re having to drain it, which is a great thing,” Superintendent Lee Leiker said.

Painting will begin on Thursday, and the pool will be closed for two to three weeks. One week is required after painting to allow the paint to dry and cure, Leiker said.

Jeremiah Lange is a regular lap swimmer at the pool.

He tries to swim once or twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes, starting at 5:15 a.m. He began swimming at the pool in fall 2008.

“It’s low impact and no impact, so it doesn’t put any pressure on my knees,” Lange said. “It’s mindless exercise, so you can kind of let your mind wander.”

It gives him time to think about other things, including preparing sermons.

Lange plans to run instead to get exercise while the pool is closed, but he said he wasn’t sure how much running it would take to give him as much exercise as swimming.