BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County pool opens May 29, but Upshur County is still looking to hire more lifeguards for the season.
Assistant Upshur County Administrator Tabatha Perry said the pool needs to hire lifeguards and will continue accepting applications for new lifeguards in the summer months.
“Sheila Adams is going to be posting information on social media today because there is a lifeguard certification course taking place at the Upshur County Recreational Park this Saturday and Sunday,” Perry said. “If someone wants to be part of the pool this summer, they can get certified this weekend and commence employment next week.”
The course costs $200, but Perry said if the individual remains employed at the pool the entire season, the commission will reimburse them at the end of the season for that cost.
If interested in applying to be hired as a lifeguard, click here for more information.
The pool hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sundays with an entry fee of $5 per person, $3 after 3 p.m. and $2 after 5 p.m. The pool will also offer swim lessons, lap swimming and water aerobics.
Hannah Lively, Upshur County Pool director, said people interested in swim lessons should call the Upshur County Commission at 304-472-0535 and talk to Sheila Adams.
“Sheila and I have talked back and forth about doing a Google Forms for it and posting that link somewhere, so that is in the works,” Lively said. “If someone is interested, they will be able to sign up there and they get a call to verify the time they requested and the date that they requested. It hasn’t been posted yet but when it is we will share it on the Facebook site.”
Children over four years old may join the group lessons that cost $50 per person for a week. Private lessons are also available for children for $15 for every 45-minute session.
“If they are under four, that requires private lessons because they are so small and probably not as skilled as anybody else – they’re basically babies at that point or toddlers – but if anybody else wants to have a private lesson, you can still do that, but they are $15 per session or it ends up being $75 for the week,” Lively said. “Our group swim lessons are $50 for the week, and that goes by skill level, not necessarily age, so we ask the parents a series of questions to see if they can they submerge their head or swim a lap on their own so we can put them in a more advanced group.”
Lap swimming will be available Monday through Friday at 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. for $3 per day.
“If you just want to come as you feel needed, you can purchase a $50 pass, but if you’re training for something and you know you’re going to be there, three or four days a week you might as well just take 50 bucks and get it over with and then Saturday and Sunday it’s available 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.,” Lively said.
Water aerobics will start June 2 and continue Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for $5.
The county commission voted to set season pool passes at $120 for an individual person then each other pass purchased for an immediate family member will be tiered, so it will start at $60 for the second person and the next would cost $30 and then $15 and so on.
New upgrades will also be added to the pool including flower gongs, floatable creatures and a larger wiggle bridge that will be installed on the slide section of the pool. Read more about the planned park and pool improvements here.
“We talked about these upgrades years ago because we knew we needed something else … what else is going for the Upshur County pool other than being the largest outdoor pool in West Virginia?” Lively said. “We think about our competitors, our neighboring county pools, and they have the fun slides and other things, so I’m glad that Tabatha was able to get some of those fun things like the wiggle bridge, and we have some musical flowers that are over by the kiddie pool and those things are going to make the memories for people.”
Stay tuned to the county commission’s and Upshur Recreational Parks website and Facebook pages.
