ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A Roanoke Valley swim school has had to cancel classes until the partial government shutdown ends.
Aquatic Adventures Swim School, which serves more than 200 students, decided to replace its pool over Christmas break so it wouldn't affect classes. The new pool, which was shipped from Korea, made it to customs Dec. 19, 2018, but now it's stuck there. Officials say they can't release the pool until the shutdown is over because Homeland Security is operating on a smaller staff.
Now, Aquatic Adventures has had to cancel its classes and put contractors on hold.
"We are doing everything we can to get up and get swimming as soon as possible. My instructors are being in the water. We're missing seeing the kids," said Mary Kerr, owner of Aquatic Adventures.
The company is sending two smaller pools that are already in the country, but Aquatic Adventures will now have to spend thousands of dollars to install them. Staff say they hope to be open in a few weeks.