OR pool reopening Memorial weekend, hiring lifeguards now
On Memorial Day weekend, the city of Oak Ridge will reopen its large, partly spring-fed historical landmark outdoor swimming pool.
The pool is at 172 Providence Road.
On Friday, May 24, the hours will be 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, May 25, through Monday, May 27, from noon to 6 p.m. The city has yet to announce hours for its regular schedule. The pool dates to 1945, although it’s had renovations since then. It features deep, intermediate and shallow areas.
Children ages 2 and under can enter for free, although anyone under 12 must enter with an adult. Youth ages 3-17 must pay $3.50. Adults may enter for $4.25. Seniors ages 65 and older must pay $2.50.
Any group of 20 people or more must send an email to vwooten@oakridgetn.gov to register before arriving. The pool accepts cash and checks, but not credit or debit cards.
Hiring for lifeguards
Vonda Wooten, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks manager for aquatics, said the pool is still accepting lifeguard applications.
Applicants must have current lifeguard certification and be at least 16 years old. They need to demonstrate lifeguard skills, be good communicators, and work well in a team environment.
“We are looking for applicants who don’t mind a little hard work, because what we do has purpose and makes a difference in people’s lives,” Wooten said.
“Lifeguarding is a great steppingstone job to the medical community, such as EMTs, firefighters, police and nursing. And of course, we do have some fun in the sun,” she said.
Remodeling after this season
The pool will reopen as its familiar self, but Oak Ridge staff, elected leaders and contractors have long discussed the current pool’s flaws. Some have spoken in favor of rebuilding its structure. Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick discussed these issues with the City Council at a work session in March.
In 2021, the pool lost about two inches of depth — about 75,000 gallons — of water per day. Hetrick said the city hasn’t identified why the pool is losing this much water, but he believes it is due to cracks and soft places in the pool’s concrete shell.
The City Council gave contractor Kimley-Horn $55,200 to come up with designs for remodeling.
The firm presented three possible designs and their cost at the work session March 26, but the council has yet to vote on them. The contractor and staff have also surveyed the public for thoughts on the pool’s amenities, concessions and, chief among the public’s concerns, parking to help come up these plans and influence the city’s eventual decision. All three of the designs, however, still involve Oak Ridge having some kind of pool at 172 Providence Road as it has since 1945.
“Quite frankly, there really isn’t another good option centrally located in town,” Hetrick said regarding the possibility of moving the pool.
In the meantime, the city did some quick fixes to handle loss of water and other issues. Work included pressure washing, repairing pool shell cracks, and painting the most-needed areas to prevent water loss, using prisoners from the Morgan County Correctional Facility for labor. The city also did minor repairs and painting in the pool’s locker rooms.