Pool staff adapts to heat; lesson sessions filling up

The Julia Butler Hansen Municipal Swimming Pool is closed on Sundays, even Sundays with record breaking temperatures. However, they were open in the days preceding as the temperature rose higher and higher.

“It was definitely hot,” Pool Manager Charlie Ashe said. “The kids in the pool were fine, but the lifeguards were struggling.”

In response, they plan to purchase umbrellas for the guard stands, which should offer some protection for staff, but cool off some of the surface areas around the pool as well.

“We had people coming all the way from Kelso, since Saturday is free swim,” Ashe said. “There were a lot of out-of-towners coming to enjoy the pool.”

The first session of lessons begin on Monday, and classes are already full. Sessions last two weeks, followed by a week off. The second session, which will begin on July 26, is already half full.

Right now they’ve got kids from the ages of 1 to 15 taking lessons, and at least one adult has come in to ask about private lessons, which they also offer.

Anyone interested in lessons can call the pool at 360-795-6515.