Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero joins other officials at the Inalåhan Pool ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, April 17, 2023, in Inalåhan.
HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The village of Inalåhan celebrated the reopening of the Inalåhan Pool and the opening of a new outdoor basketball court. It was a moment that one Inalåhan resident said he had waited to see since he was a boy.
Bill Paulino, a lifelong Inalåhan resident, learned to swim in the natural pool decades ago. He described the iconic village swimming spot as “unsafe” at the time and said his father was one of the people who tried to make it safer.
Rev. Joseph Anore blesses the court with holy water at the Inalåhan basketball court ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, April 17, 2023, in Inalåhan.
“I believe we have gone through a lot of struggles in regard for this place to be open, but it’s here now and what we need to do is to look forward for the upcoming generations,” Paulino said. “I remember growing up in this municipality and one of the things I have learned is this pool was used by youngsters to learn how to swim. It was so unsafe, so the community came together, and they did fundraising activities together. My dad, Juan Paulino, and Jesus Crisostomo, they did a lot of work with the pool.”
Gazing out at the ocean side as island dignitaries cut the ribbon formally declaring Inalåhan Pool open to the public, Bill Paulino noted the swimming spot has come a long way in terms of safety since his youth.
“There is a lot of improvement but at the same time, I feel strongly the walkway is a little bit narrow, but it can be improved in the future. This building also,” Bill Paulino told the Post, pointing to a crack in the wall of one of the pavilions. “That’s because it’s near the salt water. It has the proclivity where the rods will pop out. That’s almost unavoidable.”
Renovation
The renovation of the Inalåhan Pool was awarded to Triple K Construction, which began the work in December 2021. On Monday, Inalåhan Mayor Tony Chargualaf shared some of the work completed at the site.
“There’s been a lot of work,” the mayor said. “This has been a very monumental task. … The first damages that occurred here was back in 1992, Typhoon Yuri, and over time it slowly degraded. … The basis of the project was to re-armor the walls for the entire area where the water was at. What happened was, as they re-armored the walls, they also raised the walls. So it’s higher now to get in. That’s why the security fence was decided upon for a safety feature. I know aesthetically it’s not so pleasing and kind of ruining the natural setting, but really, if you think about it, it’s a safety feature not only for kids, but manåmko’.”
Resident Bill Paulino attends the Inalåhan Pool ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, April 17, 2023, in Inalåhan.
Bill Paulino told the Post it’s now a matter of upkeep as a community.
“At the same time, everybody has a responsibility to ensure that it’s safe for the people that are going to utilize it. The other one is accessibility. I have been down here and see people in wheelchairs. It wasn’t accessible, but they managed. It took them a long time, but there’s something special about the place. Despite their disability, they managed to be out here. Some were escorted down by the water. That was really neat,” Paulino said.
“The place it (is) important to me. … Every bit of it is something that needs to be preserved because our ancestors set the tone, set the footings and therefore every one of us has the responsibility to ensure the continuity. We need to perpetuate things that are good,” he said.
New basketball court
Inalåhan held another ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Inalåhan basketball court outside the community center. It’s another place that brings Bill Paulino happiness.
“Oh, I must confess, we were up there with my grandchildren playing basketball,” he said with a laugh shortly before the ceremony. “It’s really magnificent. Some leveling need(s) to be done, but we need to overlook on those kinds of things. I don’t want to be petty on those things, but I’ll tell you it’s a tremendous outlet for our generations.”
The basketball court, like the pool, struggled toward completion. However, JJ Global, which was contracted to build the outdoor facility, completed all other work, despite the yearlong delay.
At the ceremony, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and the Inalåhan mayor gave it a go and attempted to sink the first baskets on the new court. Although neither made a basket, both walked away with smiles on their faces.
With the court now open, Bill Paulino shared that he believes it will help bring families together and deter crime.
“The spirit of inafa’maolek is a core value of the family. When … there’s no outlet to ensure they come together and do things together for the common good, then we are going to see an increase of criminal activities,” he explained.
