Most people don't think about much more than their tans while they're laying out in the pool deck enjoy the sun and the water. But a lot of time and hard work gets put into making sure a pool like the one here at LMU runs smoothly at all times. Chris Kelly, the Utilities Mechanic for Facilities Management, is largely responsible for keeping the Burns Rec Pool up and running.
Kelly, who is also a licensed pool operator with LA County as a Pool Technician, is responsible for all the aquatics functions on campus, including feature fountains like Foley Fountain and the one at LMU's front entrance. He is also responsible for overseeing the reclaimed water treatment program that irrigates all the plants on campus. For the Burns Rec Pool specifically, he makes sure the pool chemistry is in balance, and also handles any mechanical issues, maintenance, or repairs.
To ensure that the pool runs efficiently, Kelly says that networking with the three different but related branches of campus is key. "You have to be able to build a network and maintain the bridges between Burns Rec, LMU Athletics, and the LMU Community to understand the specific needs for each customer," says Kelly, which is a lot harder than it may seem. The pool is constantly being shifted from serving everyday lap swimmers, to being changed to accommodate team practices, to meeting the needs of Masters Swim Team.
According to Kelly, the most challenging aspect of his job is to serve all the communities that use LMU’s pool while maintaining safety, without interrupting service. "Being successful in operations without interrupting, that’s a big deal because other pools are down a lot. We’re usually able to stay open and successfully handle any concerns while still meeting the needs of the customer, which I like to call students, staff, and faculty," says Kelly.
Despite the high level of importance of what he does on a daily basis, Kelly says that the best part of his job is getting to work with students and lifeguards, and being able to keep everyone happy. "Building personal relationships and working directly with the customer base is the best part of what I do," he says.
When asked about his most successful moment on the job, Kelly had this to say: "When we hosted the National Championships for the NCAA finals of men’s water polo, the networking that took place, the months of preparation it took for those three days, and then to have it go off without any problems was just so satisfying. It felt like you just scored a touchdown or goal, knowing we pulled off that type of event, and the whole nation, the whole water polo community, is watching and even ESPN TV is here."
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