RUSSELL – This week, the Duke Johnson Municipal Pool announced the pool would close earlier than expected for the year, drawing criticism from area residents.
On Thursday, City Manager Jon Quinday addressed those concerns in a Facebook post to the City of Russell page.
The full statement can be seen below.
I understand that the decision to close the Duke Johnson Municipal Swimming Pool on August 7, 2022, has created quite a stir with quite a few questions and some misinformation that I'd like to clarify.
Before I do, I want to thank folks on social media who posted positive comments about the lifeguards.
The lifeguards are certified and provide an invaluable service to the pool patrons.
They are not daycare providers and do not deserve public criticism on a social media platform without the opportunity to respond.
Are our lifeguards perfect?
No.
They are not robots.
These are young men and women whose primary responsibility is the safety of all patrons at the pool.
They make mistakes, and we receive calls when they do, which we address.
More on that later.
This year the pool opened on May 28th with a tentative closing date of August 14th.
The pool will close on August 7th because of staffing issues.
We won't have enough lifeguards to stay open longer.
The American Red Cross standard is one certified lifeguard per 25 people.
The City requires a minimum of seven certified lifeguards for the entire pool to be open.
The seven-person requirement is to provide one certified lifeguard at each station and one in the office.
We prefer to have nine certified lifeguards on duty, so they can take a 30-minute break after completing the rotation.
Two weeks ago, I directed the pool managers to move to a modified heat schedule so the guards could take a 15-minute break every 60 minutes.
I based this decision on high heat indexes and the lifeguards' safety. There was a comment that the pool used to be open until Labor Day.
The pool has been closed in August for the past decade.
Last year the pool closed on August 9th; in 2020, it closed on August 11th, and in 2019 it closed on August 9th.
The August closing coincides with the beginning of school in Russell and when college-aged lifeguards start moving into the dorms and preparing for the fall semester.
The number of days the pool closed this year was another hot topic.
Please let me add some context to that discussion.
The pool opened on May 28th and will close on August 7th, 72 operating days. As of today (July 28th), the pool has closed nine times for the following reasons:
- 7/26 Closed at 5 pm due to low attendance
- 7/25 Closed at 4 pm due to low attendance
- 7/23 Closed for the day due to mechanical issue – Chlorinator issue, low chlorine(Was able to open for a pool party at 7:00, chlorine level improved)
- 7/17 Delayed Opening due to mechanical issue – Chlorinator issue, low chlorine
- 6/27 Closed for the day for scheduled maintenance – water sunscreen application which is performed at least once during the pool season
- 6/26 Closed at 2 pm due to low attendance
- 6/22 Closed at 2:48 pm due to weather conditions
- 6/9 Closed at 4:23 pm due to low attendance
- 6/1 Closed for the day due to low temperatures
In summary: that is four closures for low attendance, two for weather, two for mechanical issues, and one for scheduled maintenance.
Three of the nine days were full-day closures.
The low attendance policy is six or fewer patrons.
The weather policy is:
1. The temperature must be 67 degrees Fahrenheit at 12:30 pm to open.
2. The pool remains open for rain-only events unless attendance drops to six or below.
3. The lifeguards clear the pool for lightning, as determined by the lightning prediction system installed at Memorial Park. Once the system gives the all-clear signal, patrons can return to the pool. The pool is closed if the storm is long-lasting or attendance drops to six or below.
One concern about the pool closings is that the person bought a season pass.
Let's put some numbers to that concern.
A single-season pass is $50.00. Assuming the pool stays open all 72 days, the cost of attending is $0.69 per day.
Since the pool (as of today) has closed early or opened late six times and fully closed three times, that cost per day increased to $0.79.
That may rise as it rained all morning and still looks pretty overcast today.
Weather and other unforeseen events are reasons placed on the pool pass application as to why the pool may close.
Whether a person wishes to purchase a season pass to save money or pay the daily $2.00 entry fee is an economic decision that is out of my control.
It's similar to the decision I faced as a young kid.
Do I pay for a season ski pass for a lift ticket each time I go skiing?
Some days the snow is not good, so I stay home.
Some days the mountain is closed due to weather.
I digress, back to the concerns raised on social media.
The installation of the two new slides and other water features at the pool was a decision to replace old worn-out equipment.
The manufacturer's safety recommendations do not allow persons under forty-eight inches to ride the slide, no more than one person at a time, and no one at the slide's base to "catch" those coming down the slide.
We would be remiss to ignore the safety recommendation of the manufacturer – especially when young children are involved.
Contrary to some suggestions, the lifeguards are not at the base of the slides to "catch" people.
The lifeguards are present to prevent and respond to water emergencies.
Lifeguards are not allowed to have cell phones while at their duty station.
Phones are left in the office where lifeguards can access and use their phones during breaks.
Is the office an ideal area for the lifeguards to take a break?
No., but it gets them out of the sun.
Is it difficult to tell who in the office is on break and who is not?
Yes.
It's a small area.
We can and will work on a better break area where the lifeguards can cool off and unwind for their short breaks.
Finally, I want to close with two items: About our lifeguards and how to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
First, as I said previously, our lifeguards provide an invaluable service monitoring patron activity to prevent and respond to water emergencies.
Yes, they will blow the whistle if you run around the pool, and no one wants you to slip and hurt yourself.
Our lifeguards are certified through the American Red Cross.
Lifeguards must be at least 15 years old and pass a pre-course swimming skills test before taking the lifeguarding courses.
The skills test is a 300-yard swim using front crawl or breaststroke, a 2-minute tread using legs only, and the ability to retrieve a 10- pound dive weight from 7 feet deep, surface, and swim twenty yards with the weight, using legs only and exit the pool without using a ladder within 100 seconds.
Once the lifeguard passes the pre-course swimming skills test, they begin the lifeguard training course.
You can find more information about the lifeguard training process at: https://www.redcross.org/.../lifeguarding/lifeguard-training.
These young men and women spend hours in the hot sun monitoring their assigned pool area to prevent and respond to water emergencies.
This is a huge responsibility for anyone, regardless of age.
We are fortunate to have young men and women willing to train, become certified, and take on the job, and I am proud of the work they do each day.
Do we have a lifeguard make a mistake occasionally?
Yes, they are human.
We address performance issues or policy violations with each employee.
That brings me to the second part.
Please call me if you have an issue with the pool or any city operation.
We don't know what we don't know, and I don't have or monitor social media.
You can call me at 785.483.6311.
If I'm unavailable, someone will take your call and route it to the appropriate person.
This is preferable to denigrating the lifeguards or any other city employee on social media.
I've said it before and will continue to boast about the community and the City's operation.
As a community, we have a great group of men and women who work daily to provide the services our community expects.
Do we make mistakes?
Yes.
Can we improve in certain areas?
Yes.
Are we working each day to improve?
Yes.
If you have an issue with the City, please call, and someone will route you to the appropriate person.
If you post your issue on social media, we may see it, and we may not.
Thanks again to those who pointed out the good work our employees, including lifeguards, do daily.
That lets them know they are making a difference in the community.
I also thank those who took the time to call when they have an issue or concern; knowing our shortcomings allows us to improve.
Please remember that these people being rundown on social media are part of our community, and they are our neighbors, someone's daughter, son, mom, dad, husband, or wife.
My name is Jon Quinday, I've been fortunate to be the City Manager for ten years, and I assume full responsibility for any imperfection we have as an organization.
You can reach me at 785.483.6311.