Community pools prepare to open

Most of the communities in Lake County have the funding they need to operate their pools for the 2018 season.

The city of Mentor is off to a good start this year with general maintenance now being done on the pools, said Recreation Superintendent Nita Justice. The pools at Eleanor B. Garfield Park, 7967 Mentor Ave.; Morton Community Park, 9325 Rosemary Lane; and Civic Center Park, 8600 Munson Road, will open on May 26.

Eastlake’s Houston Fisher Pool at Jakse Park, 1200 Jakse Drive, will open again this year under the lease agreement establish between the

West End YMCA and the city of Eastlake. The funding to maintain the pool comes from the sale of pool passes, YMCA membership fees and a donation from Best Supply that helps offset a lot of the maintenance cost, said Clint Simons, West End YMCA executive director.

“If it wasn’t for Best Supply’s generosity, we wouldn’t be able to keep the pool open,” Simons said. “They have done it for the past five years now. It’s not a struggle with their help, they help us break even.”

Houston-Fisher Pool opens on May 26.

Willoughby has t wo pools, Osborne Park Pool, at 38575 Lake Shore Blvd., and Willoughby Municipal Swimming Pool, at 36900 Euclid Ave. Both will open this year on May 26.

According to Jim Clark, parks and recreation program coordinator for Willoughby, the city is do-

ing OK on funding for the pools.

“It always costs more every year, the prices go up,”

Clark said. “We are not hurting per se, but we don’t make any money on the pools. It’s difficult. They re-

quire a lot of maintenance and labor with all the lifeguards you have to have and a minimum wage in- crease each year, the chemicals, the electric and the gas to heat them, none of it goes down, but we are doing OK.”

Admission fees did go up this year for the Willoughby’s pools.

Clark noted that Willoughby is one of the area pools that have admission at the gate as an option to obtaining a seasonal pool pass. Through an agreement with the cities’ administrations, Kirtland, Kirtland Hills and Willoughby Hills residents are able to obtain pool passes for the Willoughby pools for the same fees Willoughby residents pay.

Clark also noted that the Willoughby pools have had a couple of good seasons where they won awards for their aquatics programs from Aquatics International.

Karrie Hopton, administrative assistant to the recreation director for Wickliffe, said for the city, pool funding is a challenge every year.

“The cost to maintain them, keep them safe and

make sure there are enough lifeguards, so it’s always a challenge.” Hopton said. “We are working to get lifeguards Red Cross certified.”

Hopton notes maintenance is being performed on the pools now to get them ready for the season.

Jindra Pool, 901 Talmadge Drive; Orlando Spray Park, 30100 Twin Lakes Drive; and Peter Christopher Aquatic Center at Coulby Park, 28730 Ridge Road, all open June 2.

In Willowick, Recreation Director Julie Kless said the budget is passed, so the city is good for this year with its pools which open June 4: Manry Pool, 30100 Arnold Road; and Dudley Pool, 31500 Willowick Drive.

Kless notes that when it comes to pool funding,the city looks at the budget year to year and make cuts where it can.

Last year, the city decided to close Dudley Pool on weekends and offer splash parties instead.

“We can bring in revenue by offering splash parties all day on Saturday and Sunday,” Kless said.

NEWS-HERALD FILE New swimmers in Matt Fuerst’s Learn to Swim class at Mentor Civic Center Pool, ages 6 to 7, end their session Friday with the “I Like” game, in which one child shouts out something he likes and everyone who also likes it jumps with him into the pool....