TF pool to open in late June

The Thompson Falls City Pool will open this summer, though services may be limited due to a lack of staffing.

Mayor Mark Sheets said Monday that staff is working toward the opening. Work to the pool is being completed this month, and the city has a target opening date of June 26.

“We have redone all along the gutters of the pool and are working on redoing the showers in the changing room,” Sheets said. The city also continues to work on cleaning up after the changing rooms were vandalized earlier this year. “We’re working hard to get all that taken care of. We need to have all this done before the pool opens,” Sheets explained. This fall after the pool closes for the season, refurbishing will continue when the main area of the pool is sandblasted and recoated with resin.

Sheets said that the city also is looking for more lifeguards. Typically it takes 8 or 9 lifeguards to fully staff the pool, and so far the city has received three applications. “Services will be cut,” Sheets noted. “Essentially we will try to keep the pool open as much as possible with what we have staff wise to work with.” He said the priorities will be two sessions of the aquasize class and then some open swimming. Unless more applications are received and lifeguards hired, Sheets said there would not be swimming lessons. “Aquasize doesn’t take a lot of folks to operate, whereas lessons take a lot of people to help operate safely,” Sheets said.

While lifeguards typically have been teenagers on summer break, Sheets stressed that anyone over 15 who completes the training can be a lifeguard. He said that another setback to the pool opening has been finding someone to train lifeguards, but that a resource has been found and that training will take place later this month.

Sheets said the pool is important to the community. “It is something that a lot of effort has been put into keeping maintenance up on. In a lot of communities the pool is falling apart, but we have worked to maintain it here,” he added.

To apply for lifeguard positions, visit Thompson Falls Job Service or go online to montanaworks.gov.