Area kids seemed to beat the recent heatwave by visiting East Rockingham Pool.
During the most recent meeting of the Richmond County Commissioners, Land credited the management and staff for their ability to handle the deluge of visitors to the facility in the weeks following its June opening.
“The pool opened June the 10th, and attendance has been through the roof … We have had six different daycares coming faithfully Monday through Friday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. We’re averaging somewhere around 120 swimmers a day at the pool, and several times we’ve reached over 160 kids there,” said Land, who encouraged senior citizens to drop by for the recently created senior swim night Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m., as well as water aerobics and swimming classes for kids.
Land said the pool will remain open through August 19, with a bulk of the lifeguards going back to school the following week. Pool Manager Jeff Ingram attributed the uptick in attendance to kids looking for something to do after school, and hopes it will continue despite many families going on summer vacation after the Fourth of July, but feels confident adult program participation will increase.
“It wears off. Everybody has been cooped up. We will stay steady on the weekend, but during the days we probably will have 20 or 30 come in during the day,” Ingram said.
Ingram credited his lifeguards for their diligent work in keeping kids safe despite the growing number of swimmers. He typically keeps one lifeguard on duty per 20 swimmers, but with the influx of visitors, some days require all hands on deck.
“When we get into the 100s or 150, it gets to be a little bit too much … We’ve got 12 on staff. We try to keep six here all of the time. It’s not too bad. It’s slowed down a little bit, but it usually does after the fourth,” Ingram said.