By Lana Bradstream, Times-Republican
Hot weather means the time has come for some swimming, and the Marshalltown Aquatic Center will officially open June 1.
Parks and Recs Director Geoff Hubbard said the price of admission has not increased. It remains at $5 for general admission, $3 for classes and admission after 5 p.m., $110 for a single-person pass and $180 for two-people and more for family passes. The cost of adding each family member to the two-people pass is $30.
Unlike the previous couple years, Hubbard feels better about the staffing situation. Last year, he said they had to shut down the lazy river because there were not enough staff to run it.
“We had two lifeguard classes and had a lot of applicants,” he said. “I think we have enough staff to keep everything open the entire summer.”
Nineteen of the Aquatic Center staff positions have been filled, but Hubbard is hoping for 25 employees. He said not a lot of the employees tend to want to work 40 hours per week.
“Some of the lifeguards have jobs at other places,” he said. “They work 30 hours here and then work 20 hours at HyVee or El Portal or the bowling alley. We try to be flexible on the number of hours people want to work.”
One new feature at the Aquatic Center this season is the addition of evening lessons. Hubbard said they realized some parents might have trouble bringing their child to lessons as they have to work, so they wanted to incorporate a class later in the day.
He said there are also no new rules people should be aware of, but wanted to highlight a particular one.
“Just behave yourself, no running near the slides, regular pool stuff,” Hubbard said. “Anyone under the age of 9 needs to be supervised, so we’re not babysitting all day.”
The hours of the Aquatic Center are:
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., June 5 to Aug. 19 for water walking;
- 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 5 to Aug. 18.
The Aquatic Center’s last day is scheduled for Aug. 25.
The rules for the Aquatic Center are:
- Children under the age of 9 ust be accompanied by an adult or a responsible person 15 years old or older actively supervising them at all times both in and out of the water;
- All patrons must wear proper swim attire. No shorts or shirts with strings hanging. This is for hygiene and pool cleanliness purposes. Gym shorts are not allowed. All apparel subject to approval by staff;
- Non-toilet trained children must wear swim diapers and must have a swim suit over the swim diaper;
- No running anywhere in pool areas;
- No breath-holding contests or extended swim under water;
- No rough play or wrestling in the pools;
- Feet first entry only off the pool sides, this includes “butt bombs” and “turtle dives;”
- No backwards or twirling jumps;
- No standing on top of, pushing off of, or diving into water from floatable items;
- Bringing in coolers and food is prohibited;
- The entire Aquatic Center grounds and parking area are smoke-free. Smoking, consumption of alcohol or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol is cause for ejection. This includes e-cigarettes and vaping devices;
- Personal floats like water wings, toddler floating seats, and noodles are permitted at staff discretion;
- No inner tube-type floats or air mattresses are permitted;
- Anyone wearing a personal float must be actively supervised by an adult at all times.
Hubbard encouraged people to follow the Aquatic Center on Facebook. He said that is where schedule changes and cancellations or closures will be announced.
“We always put stuff on Facebook about what is going on,” Hubbard said.
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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or [email protected].
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