The end of the school year is approaching, and pools are opening for the summer.
Johnson County residents can spend some time in the sun and in the water at three public aquatics facilities in Edinburgh, Franklin and Greenwood. Franklin’s pool opens Saturday and pools in Edinburgh and Greenwood both open May 27.
Franklin Family Aquatic Center
Franklin Family Aquatic Center opens to the public Saturday, as students at Franklin Community High School cross the stage at graduation. The facility includes an Olympic-sized pool with a diving well, a 190-foot water slide, a heated zero-depth pool, water basketball and an interactive play structure.
The pool will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday until students return to school Aug. 1. Facility hours will be limited to weekends and Labor Day from Aug. 1 to Sept. 4, when it closes for the year, said Sarah Muller, aquatics director.
About a third of pools nationwide had a lifeguard shortage last summer, according to NPR. The shortage was felt at the Franklin facility, which was two lifeguards short of its target number. This year, however, the pool is fully staffed with 38 employees. Hourly lifeguard wages have increased this summer from $10 to $14, and although the hiring process concluded before the increase was finalized, Muller said it will help ensure interest in lifeguard positions stays high for years to come.
“It’s a lot of recruitment, a lot of word-of-mouth, a lot of people who joined this year have friends on the staff. Kids enjoy the environment and it’s a team aspect. It’s a great place to work if you’re a young person and it’s your first job,” Muller said. “You get to meet new people, learn different responsibilities. I feel like it will help a lot of kids in their first job. I think it’ll help a lot of kids realize how important it is to be attentive, communicate well and take responsibility.”
Freedom Springs Aquatics Park
The county’s largest aquatics park, located in Greenwood, will open May 27 and stay open until Sept. 4. The facility’s regular hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the exception of Thursdays, it’s open 11 a.m. and Sundays, when it’s open noon to 6 p.m. Freedom Springs also has lap swims 6 to 8 a.m. and water aerobics 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday, said Brooke Gilles, aquatics manager.
The facility includes a lazy river, a tube slide, open and closed-body slides, a drop slide, a play structure for children and a leisure pool. Freedom Springs will have three adults-only nights, June 16, July 21 and Aug. 4, which feature Oaken Barrel and Mallow Run beverages and a DJ’d pool party, according to the city of Greenwood’s website.
Freedom Springs pays lifeguards $14 an hour and is fully staffed. Recruiting for the summer swim season began right after the aquatics park closed last September, she said.
“We do good networking with the high schools, which set up job fairs,” Gilles said. “We have 50% to 60% of staff that return every year. We try and keep it upbeat and fun, but we are still professionals and we’re here to do work.”
Edinburgh Aquatic Center
Edinburgh Aquatic Center features two water slides, a pool and kids play area. The facility has public swim noon to 6 p.m. every day and adults-only swims Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. The pool will close for the season July 30, when students who serve as lifeguards return to school for the fall semester, said Eric Whitlock, aquatics manager.
The facility is understaffed by two lifeguards but is in better shape than last year, when it was missing six. Most of the pool’s 15 lifeguards come from the Columbus area, and with a $10 hourly rate, many Edinburgh students opt to work at Indiana Premium Outlets instead, he said.
“We haven’t had to reduce pool hours, it’s just a shift of how many hours our lifeguards work per week. We like to work them around 28 hours a week, now some of our guards are working 35 hours a week. On those really hot weeks, 35 hours is a lot for a kid to work,” Whitlock said. “Our biggest challenge is the mall is close. A student can get a job at the mall, make more money and work year-round.”
With lifeguard training done for the year, lifeguards can still apply to work at the pool this summer, but they will have to already be certified. Anyone interested in working at the pool can call Edinburgh Parks and Recreation at 812-526-3535, he said.
Swimming safety
There are several safety precautions children and their parents can take when visiting a pool.
Johnson County’s aquatics facilities provide free U.S. Coast Guard-certified life vests for swimmers each day while supplies last. Those vests can also be purchased at sporting goods stores or Walmart, and should have a U.S. Coast Guard stamp on them. Unauthorized flotation devices, such as water wings, are not allowed.
“Across the board, facilities don’t allow outside flotation devices for safety reasons,” Gilles said. “If water wings pop, it puts you in a compromised position. If you don’t know how to swim, suddenly you’re underwater. We’re trying to prevent a problem before it happens.”
Even though lifeguards are on duty, parents are the first line of defense when it comes to keeping swimmers safe, she said.
“That can help prevent accidents from happening altogether,” Gilles said. “Always swim with a buddy, never swim by yourself. That way, you can keep each other safe. If you are not a strong swimmer or someone who doesn’t know how to swim, wear a life vest.”
Most importantly, people need to listen to lifeguard directions, Muller said.
“One of the big things is not running on the deck. You don’t want to slip and scrape your knee,” she said. “If a lifeguard instructs you to do something, there’s a reason for that. If a child is not tall enough, they can’t go on the water slide. It’s not to stop them from having fun, but to keep them safe.”
