Waitsburg and Prescott Pools are Now Open and Ready for Summer Fun

WAITSBURG – While the Dayton city pool is closed for this summer, facilities in Waitsburg and Prescott are stepping up to meet the area’s demand for chlorinated summer fun.

Both the Waitsburg pool (across Coppei Avenue from Preston Park, open Monday through Friday) and its Prescott counterpart (at 303 West 2nd Street, open every day) have begun operations for the season.

The Waitsburg pool offers open swim periods from 1 to 5 in the afternoon and from 6 to 8 in the evening on the days it is open. Additionally, an adults-only lap swim time is offered from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. General admission is $2, while children under 5 swim free with a paying adult. Prescott’s facility, meanwhile, hosts open swim from 1 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 7 on weekends. Cost to swim is $4 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. As in Waitsburg, children under 5 swim free.

Both pools will also offer swimming lessons this summer. In each case, the courses are two weeks long and classes are held Monday through Thursday. Lessons at the Waitsburg location take place from July 9-19, last half an hour and are free. Prescott’s hour-long lessons take place throughout the summer and are free to all those within the 99348 ZIP code, courtesy of Northwest Grain Growers. (For those living in another ZIP code, the cost for the Prescott lessons is $25 per child.)

Parents or guardians interested in the Waitsburg program have the option of signing up in person at City Hall or by phone at 337-6371. Those interested in lessons at the Prescott pool should contact the pool’s management at 849-2214.

In addition, the Prescott facility will play host to the water aerobics program formerly held at the Dayton pool. These classes, which began this week, run from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and are open to all skill levels. Free rides to and from the classes will be available from Columbia County Public Transportation.

Yvonne Jackson, the Prescott Pool’s administrator, says that Dayton or Waitsburg residents who would like to take advantage of this service should call 382-1647 at least 24 hours in advance. (For more information about the aerobics program itself, call 382-4335.)

Jackson also noted that another water aerobics class might be offered from 7 to 8 on Wednesday evenings, depending on demand. “I would need to have a minimum of six people every Wednesday,” she stipulated.

Whether or not the evening class fills up, the schedule at the Prescott Pool is already jam-packed. A “safety day” event is slated for July 29 from 10 to noon on the facility grounds, featuring presentations from area organizations on water and personal safety for kids and families. Later in the summer, an auto show will be held in the adjoining park on the second weekend of August.

If you’ve got a mind to do some serious splashing around, both pools offer season passes. At Waitsburg, an individual season pass goes for $40, and a family pass can be purchased for $80. Prescott’s individual passes cost $55 and family passes $110.

The two facilities, each of which features a waterslide, diving board and splash pool, are also available for private rental by the hour. For more information and specific quotes, contact Waitsburg City Hall at 337-6371 or the Prescott Parks and Rec Department at 849-2314.