Pool prepped

Hillcrest Aquatic Center readies for opening weekend

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BROOKINGS – If you’re looking for a place to dip your toes in the water or to go all out and take a splash in over the Memorial Day weekend, the Hillcrest Aquatic Center will be open starting Saturday.

Stacy Claussen, a recreation manager with the Brookings Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, said a lot of work goes into getting the aquatic center ready for the season, ranging from hiring personnel to ensuring its facilities are in proper working order.

“We are pretty well staffed this year,” Claussen said, adding that a lot of job applications arrived in the last few weeks. “The lifesaver was that a lot of college students who were certified lifeguards decided to stay in Brookings this summer rather than go home.”

She noted that another incentive might have been the fact that the city increased wages for all seasonal and part-time employees last fall.

While it’s been mostly smooth sailing with facility preparation, there have a couple of hiccups – including the May 12 derecho that hit Brookings and the surrounding area.

“The last couple of weeks were really challenging,” Claussen said.

Fortunately, damage from the storm was limited to some trees in Hillcrest Park, and an umbrella at the aquatic center along with some downed fencing. Crews have been busy making repairs.

The other hiccup was mechanical in nature, which is why the leisure pool won’t be open until next week. Claussen said a part came in and should fix the issue, but that it will take time to determine if it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing.

In the meantime, the 50-meter pool has been fully filled and is ready to go – but swimmers might still get a bit of the shock when leaping in. That’s because the water could be chilly, despite it being heated by the aquatic center, thanks to cool weather in the days leading up to Saturday, along with possible shower activity.

Claussen certainly has weather on her mind as this year’s swimming season approaches.

“Last year was a beautiful summer,” she said. “We didn’t have to close hardly at all due to the weather. Our (attendance) numbers were higher than they had been in a long time.”

As for this year, Claussen isn’t sure what to expect for attendance. “A lot depends on the weather,” she said.

Regardless of the weather and water temperatures, people going to the aquatic center this holiday weekend can also expect to see a few changes from last year. This includes new paint on the floors in the bathhouse and concession areas in an effort to brighten them up.

What you can expect

According to information from Claussen, here are the ins and outs of everything you need to know regarding the Hillcrest Aquatic Center for this holiday weekend and beyond:

• The  50-meter pool and the slides will open Saturday.

• The leisure pool will not be open this weekend due to a mechanical issue. If all goes well, it will be able to open Tuesday.

• The hours for Memorial Day Weekend are from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Beginning Tuesday, the aquatic center hours will be as follows:

• Open swim will be Monday through Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Family swim will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

• Lap swim will begin June 6. Lap swim hours will be Monday through Friday from noon to 1 p.m.

• Water aerobics will begin Tuesday. Hours will be Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

• Lap swim and water aerobics are included with a season pass or daily pass.

• Pool passes will be available for purchase at the aquatic center during open hours or online at https://apm.activecommunities.com/cityofbrookings/Membership.

• Admission will be $6  for everyone 2 years of age and older; children 1 and under are free.

• Punch cards are 10 punches for $54.

• Pool rental is available after hours for $200 per hour. (Not available on Tuesday evenings through July 12  due to an ongoing rental.)

• A local swim meet on June 10-12 means that the 50-meter pool and possibly the slides will be closed during that time.

Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.