STAUNTON – The pool season in the City of Staunton may be longer next summer.
For years, the city pools at Gypsy Hill Park and Montgomery Hall Park have ended in early August, maybe the hottest time of the year.
“Historically we have always closed the pools on the first day of school,” Chris Tuttle, the director of Staunton’s Parks and Recreation Department, told The News Leader two years ago. Tuttle has been with the city for almost 40 years and said pools always close when school starts.
With area schools now starting the first week of August — students went back Aug. 6 in Staunton — and no signs of that changing, it would appear pools are destined to close for the last month of summer also.
But that might not be the case.
A new pool house is currently being built at Gypsy Hill Park. It replaces the old pool house, built in 1958, that had corroding steel joists, deteriorating exterior walls, and outdated fixtures not in compliance with modern code standards.
The new pool house will have a ground-level access with a direct walkway to the pool deck, new unisex restrooms with enhanced privacy, a covered concession area and overall a more modern design. It is expected to be open by the start of the swim season.
With that new pool house, it seems that the City of Staunton is considering making a longer swim season. Nothing official, but at the Oct. 9 Staunton City Council meeting there was a lot of optimistic, with perhaps a dash of cautious, language.
“I am very excited about possibly, hopefully … I would love to, fingers crossed, work very hard to get the season extended through Labor Day,” said City Manager Leslie Beauregard. “I think that would be amazing with a new pool house.”
Staffing has always been the issue. With students making up the lifeguard staff, it’s hard to operate the pool once they go back to school. Still, Tuttle said that extending the season is under discussion.
“No other issues prohibit us from staying open longer,” he said. “Staffing is the main issue.”
If the decision is made to extend the season it would apply to both the Gypsy Hill Park and Montgomery Hall Park pools, per Tuttle.
Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
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