Local Pools to Open This Month

DAYTON – The beginning of June brings the end of the school year in Dayton, Waitsburg, and Prescott. Along with the joys of students having three months off from their studies comes the opening of local swimming pools.

Dayton

The Dayton City Pool opens on June 14, which is also the last day of school in Dayton. The first day of operations for the pool will be free to all patrons, and the pool will hold open swim sessions from 1-5 and 6-8 p.m. The pool is scheduled to stay open until Dayton Schools resume in late August.

The daily admission for the DCP is $3 for anyone over age five. This fee will be charged at all open swim, lap swim, and aquacise activities. Paying adults can bring children aged five and under in free of admission.

Season passes will also be offered for those planning to use the pool on a regular basis and don't want to pay a fee for each session. Individual season passes are $60, while a family pass for up to four people in the same household is $120. Additional members past the four included in the family pass or out of the household can be added for a $25 additional charge.

Dayton's operating hours are generally unchanged from the previous few seasons. The normal weekday operating schedule, which will begin the week of June 19, starts with early-bird lap swim from 7-8 a.m. This is followed by swim team practice from 8-10 a.m., with swim lessons starting at 10 and ending at noon. Afternoon aquasise is held from 12 – 1 pm, running until the beginning of the day, recreational session from 1-5 pm. Evening aquacise provides a break from the recreational sessions from 5-6 p.m. The final session of the day is evening recreational swim from 6-8 p.m. This schedule may be interrupted by home swim meets.

Saturdays will feature only the two recreational sessions, and there are no scheduled Sunday sessions. Both days are open for rentals, as well as some evening hours on weekdays.

Swim lessons are offered for people of all ages, and those interested can obtain more information at the pool or at Dayton City Hall. Lessons last two weeks and cost $35 per person. A swim team is available for kids 18 and under that is run through the city pool. It will be coached by Jamie Trump. Practices are held weekday mornings.

Waitsburg

The Waitsburg City Pool will open on June 15, and will stay open until August 18. The pool will be open for public swim from 1-5 and 6-8 p.m. on weekdays. There will also be adult lap swim sessions between the two public swims on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. The pool will be closed on weekends.

Daily passes for day and night swim will be $2 per day. Family passes are available for $80 for the season and are limited to a family of five members maximum, although additional members can be added for $10 a person. An individual pass will be $40 for the season.

Swimming lessons for the summer will be held in two-week sessions, four days a week, from Tuesday to Friday. The lessons will take place in 30-minute sessions between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Due to a low number of staff, class size is limited to 10 swimmers per session. There may be a second two-week session of lessons offered if there is enough demand.

The pool may be rented, but the rental must be approved in advance by Waitsburg City Hall to determine the availability of staff for the rental date, and the length of the rental session. Rentals have a maximum time of four hours.

Prescott

Prescott will open their pool on June 17 at noon. The pool will continue to operate daily throughout the summer. Hours of operation are 1–7 p.m. Mon.- Thurs., and noon-7 p.m., Fri. - Sun. These sessions are open to the public and cost $3 for people ages 6-17 and seniors. Adults ages 18-64 will be charged $4, and children five and under are free with a paying adult.

Swimming lessons begin June 26. The lessons run in two-week sessions and will be held throughout the summer, for a cost of $25 per person.

The opening of the Memorial Pool in Walla Walla after a decade hiatus raised the question of a possible drop in attendance at the Prescott Pool. However, this is not an issue that is bothering Prescott Parks & Recreation co-manager Yvonne Jackson.

"I think there may be those that will try out the Walla Walla (Memorial) Pool," Jackson said. "However, I feel quite certain that those that use our pool will continue to do so because of the reasons they come in the first place: it is not crowded, it is clean, we allow them to picnic in the park, or go home, and not have to pay an additional fee to reenter. I do not anticipate a huge effect on our numbers."

More information on events at the Prescott City Pool and Park will be made available as they happen.