Be Smart When Keeping Aquatic Facilities Open

As summer draws to a close, you're likely facing the challenge of balancing summer employees returning to school with keeping your aquatic facilities open. How do you ensure safety — and fun — as the last weeks of the season draw to a close? According to PDRMA members, you plan early, schedule wisely and use checklists.

Ryan Hays, Aquatics and Tennis Manager, Champaign Park District, says, “We start prepping the first week of August for our close, making a checklist of tasks along with a timeline for them. Dividing tasks between departments also helps. Our Certified Pool Operator and his crew handle the maintenance side of closing the facility, while our pool staff is responsible for storing the pool equipment and cleaning.” 

Although the agency closed its facility last year once high school students went back to school, they’re trying something different this year. “It’s definitely a struggle to staff aquatics once schools start,” Hays explains. “This year we decided we’ll be open only on weekends once school begins and will close for the season on Labor Day. However, we’re reducing our hours to 12 to 5 p.m. with no shift change. That means we’ll need fewer guards, so we won’t have to close any amenities.”

Fewer lifeguards means more precautions, notes Hays. “Hopefully, guards have built good habits of hydrating, applying sunscreen and getting out of the sun on breaks. Most are working more hours as staff dwindles, so their overall time in the sun goes up.” Hays adds that they give anyone working a double shift a 30-minute break, so they can get out of the sun and cool off over a longer period of time. A break manager takes their spot in rotation to ensure proper coverage.

Fewer lifeguards also means less availability at aquatic amenities. ‘We ask patrons for patience but, at this point, most of them know it can be a challenge for us to find staff. We also are as communicative as possible, letting patrons know before they come into the facility if we’ve closed certain amenities.”

Hays adds one last point to help manage the end of the season. “We give ourselves a couple days after the pool closes to rest before coming back to do the work of closing our facility.” That break is important, as it helps everyone regroup. “When we come back to wrap things up after that break, we’re better able to stay organized, complete our checklists and not cut corners that we’d end up regretting when it’s time to reopen!”

Angela Brown, Director of Safety and Facilities, Channahon Park District agrees with Hays’s advice but also faces some special circumstances at her agency at the end of summer.

“Our community holds a long-running, large festival throughout the second weekend of August, which requires us to adjust our hours,” she explains. “And our local schools start the following week, so we lose our staff for weekdays as well as many of the families that would normally use our aquatic facilities. The timing works out fairly well, though, as we decrease hours moving toward Labor Day, with our primary adjustments being to align staff school schedules with our decreased hours.

“We have a fenced-in spray ground and slide tower with lockable gates, so if we’re short staffed, we can secure those amenities. Thankfully, our community understands we need lifeguards to ensure safety, and if they aren’t available, we will not open. We get complaints occasionally,” Brown admits, “but usually, they’re just questions. Once we explain the situation, patrons are very accepting.”

She also notes late summer staffing challenges extend to her management team. “Many of my team go away to college,” she says, “so when the whole team leaves, I’m managing our final weekends by myself. Luckily, I have the luxury of a fantastic maintenance team that handles all the mechanicals and maintenance. They have a checklist and tackle it all quickly and efficiently at season’s end. That means my only worry is staffing, customer amenities and concessions.”

Keep these PDRMA-member, end-of-season recommendations in mind along with the tips below to operate your aquatic facilities safety until you close them for the season.

• Don’t lower your standards for any reason — maintain appropriate staffing levels, proper scanning, cleanliness, safety, security, etc., from opening day to closing your facilities.
• Make safety your top priority throughout the season!
• Take time to regroup before completing season closing activities and share pats on the back for bringing yet another season of fun to your patrons.