Aquatic Center Attendance

Parks and Recreation had a record breaking year in 2007 with aquatic center attendance. We reached over 100,000 visitors at Valley View. The warm weather kept the lifeguards busy and the swimmers happy--only once did we close due to weather, which is unusual. That adds up to a lot of hours of operation.

I have heard from a few citizens concerned that the pools were not open longer this year. Typically, we keep one pool out of the three (between Clive and West Des Moines) open through Labor Day. That condition is part of our 28E Agreement (intergovernmental agreement) with Clive. This responsibility alternates between the two cities yearly. This year, the Clive staff (with assistance from WDM Parks and Rec) worked to keep their facility open, but were not able to find adequate staffing to continue to operate safely. For reference, to leave the Holiday aquatic center fully operational, 20 staff are required. The pool can open with only some areas accessible with 13-14 staff.

Parks and Recreation is planning to meet with area municipal and private outdoor pool management to try and identify a strategy to address this challenge. This has become a metro wide issue with schools and school activities starting earlier each summer, and fewer students available to help lifeguard and staff the pools late in the season. This is a priority for us next summer.