First of all, I want to Congratulate the Weiser High School Seniors who graduated this last Sunday! You have your entire lives ahead of you. I wish you all the best on path you forge through whatever life brings your way!
Our daughter and son-in-law celebrated their anniversary last week, so Cathy and I gave them the gift of time by watching the grandsons. We had all kinds of activities lined up, but they upended our plans as soon as they arrived. The number one thing they wanted to do was go to the Artful Bon to find a project to work on. The oldest one, chose a wooden outline of Idaho to paint. The younger one, picked out a wine box to turn into a treasure box.
Bonnie is so good with the kids. She lets them pick their project, the paint, teaches them how to use the brushes, and clean up afterwards. While the projects were drying, the boys had fun playing with Bonnie’s dog, Annie.
I think having the boys over is as much as an adventure for Cathy and me as it is for the boys. We are never quite sure what will be going on. And of course, we were exhausted.
The last couple of weeks, Ken Anderson from the Recreation Department and Dave Loos the Building Inspector have been getting the swimming pool ready for the season. I knew they had a couple of tiles and a light or two to replace, so I swung by to take a look.
The pool was drained down so there was only water in the deep end. Dave was in the middle of the pool placing tile. It turns out that there were more than a couple of tiles loose. There were several soft spots on the bottom of the pool that had to be fixed before the pool could be used. In fact, Ken had to drive to Meridian to get extra matching tile to finish the project.
Also, the water that was in the deep end, looked like something out of the “Swamp Thing” movie. I was afraid if I stuck my foot in it, I may not have a foot to pull back out.
Needless to say, I had concerns whether or not we were going to have the pool ready by the first part of June. However, Ken assured me we would be there. So, I asked Ken what all it took each year to provide this great summer activity. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
Here is a quick breakdown of our spring pool set-up duties. Clean and pull winter tarp and tarp water weights. Drain the pool and clean the pool bottom. Fix and repair any damage to the pool after a long winter. Add and assemble all pool hardware, such as lights, drains, etc. Begin filling the pool. Once the pool is filled, get the pump running and start filtering the pool water. Then add algaecide and water clarifier to make the water clear. (The algaecide and water clarifier takes out the gunk that made the water look swampy! The gunk then settles on the bottom.) Vacuum the pool. Vacuum the pool. Vacuum the pool. Vacuum the pool. You get the idea. Next add the multitude of chemicals to get pool water balanced. Turn on pool heaters and get water to the magic 82 degrees. Also on the list, is opening dressing rooms and making sure the showers, sinks, and toilets are all in good working order. Next, it’s back outside to clean the pool deck, put up the diving board, starting blocks, lifeguard chairs, and all signage.
Then comes finalizing hiring new guards in a process that actually started in about February. Next comes setting up dates and times for getting the lifeguards certified both with the knowledge to do the job as well as the physical ability to do so. SouthWest District Health then gets involved inspecting to ensure the pool meets specifications. All pool safety equipment is tested. The office is then stocked with information for the public, snacks, goggles, and first aid supplies.
Last but not least, the office, locker rooms, and outside the facility are cleaned. And finally, we are OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Simple as that!
Ken wants you to please remember that the lifeguards work hard to protect our loved ones. Many times, it is a thankless job, but an especially important one. When you have a chance, take a moment to thank a lifeguard. Also, if you see Ken, thank him, also! Have a GREAT AND SAFE SUMMER!
Well, that’s it for this week. Enjoy! What would summer be like for the kids without a pool?
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