City pool set to open for the season on Saturday

Slap on that sunscreen, fluff up your beach towel and break out the bikinis and Speedos. The summer swim season has arrived.

Traditionally, the Memorial Day weekend means the beginning of the summer swim season, and this year will be no different for the Greencastle Aquatic Center. The city will open the pool this Saturday, May 23 (weather permitting, of course).

The pool will have normal hours of operation for the holiday weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, May 23-25.

Those regular hours are:

-- 11 a.m.-11:55 a.m. adult lap swim and water walking (except for M-W-F June 8-July 17 when SPARK is in progress).

-- 12-5 p.m. for open swim.

-- 5-6:30 p.m. for family swim and water babies learn-to-swim lessons.

-- 6:30-8 p.m. for open swim.

However, with most of the lifeguards still in high school, shorter hours will be necessary at the pool Tuesday through Friday, May 26-29.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 26-27, the pool will be open for lap swim only from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and will reopen after school for open swim from 4-8 p.m. Concessions will be available 4-8.

On Thursday, May 28 hours will be 11 a.m.-noon for adult lap swim, 12-5 p.m. open swim, 5-6:30 p.m. for family swim and 6:30-8 for open swim.

Those hours will be the same on Friday, except for family swim being 5-7 p.m. and the pool closing at 7 o'clock because of Greencastle High School graduation ceremonies.

Regular summer pool hours will then resume on Saturday, May 30 with school out for the year and a full roster of lifeguards, admissions and concessions workers available at the pool.

Assistant Park Director Phil Cornelius is in charge of aquatics operations.

Ellie Boyle returns as concessions manager with Hunter Smith and Nathan Gardner as assistant managers and Amelia Smith as the head lifeguard.

Daily admission rates for the 2015 season remain unchanged from the last three seasons. Anyone age five and older will pay $5 to go to the pool for the day, while youngsters four and under are admitted free.

Season passes are priced as follows: Individual season pass, $50; and family pass (four people), $160 (with $30 added for each additional person).

A Greencastle Gate Pass (punch pass), good for 10 admissions, is available for $40, which represents a savings of $10 per pass.

Meanwhile, the first few days of the pool season are considered the "perfect time to purchase pool passes and beat the crowd," park officials say, and sign up for water babies and other swim lessons. Such purchases can be made at the aquatic center admissions counter.

The pool will also again be available for private pool rentals and birthday parties on a first-come, first-served basis.

The cost of pool rental varies by the number of persons attending (1-75 people is $170; 76-150 is $230; and 151 or more people is $310).

For birthday parties, the base rate (1-10 people) is $80 with an extra charge of $5 for each additional person.

Pool parties are typically scheduled 8:15-10:15 p.m. daily, though on occasion, the aquatics center may close as early as 6 p.m. for a large-group pool party (such schedule changes will be posted at least a day in advance).

Swimming lessons will again be available at the pool this summer.

The learn-to-swim program for youngsters age seven and up is $40 for 10 half-hour lessons. Water babies, designed for preschoolers, costs $35 for 10 half-hour sessions. Private lessons are available at $80 for 10 half-hour classes.

The lone change in the swim lessons schedule is that Session A (June 1-12) will have only evening classes (5-5:45 p.m. or 5:45-6:30 p.m.) since the pool water is often quite chilly in the mornings early in the season.

The other two learn-to-swim sessions, June 15-26 and July 6-17, will offer classes at three timeframes (8:30-9:15 a.m., 9:20-10:05 a.m. and 10:10-10:55 a.m.).

Aqua Zumba classes for adults 16 and up are back for a fourth season, beginning June 1 with sessions set for 8:15-9 p.m. on Monday and Thursdays and 11-11:45 a.m. Tuesdays.

Cost is $6 per person per class or $3 for season pass holders. Aqua Zumba instructor is Tara Gardner.

Park Director Rod Weinschenk reminds swim enthusiasts that the weather conditions must be 70 degrees air temperature and 70 degrees water temperature to open the facility and avoid any hypothermia situation.

The same air temperature rule also holds true for operations at the free Bob York Memorial Splash Park, which will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting.

The last day of the 2015 pool season is listed as Aug. 9.

A complete breakdown of city pool activities and their costs is listed in the Park Department's 2015 Program and Event Guide available at City Hall, the pool, the park office and other locations.