City pool to limit swimmers
By Samantha Lyles
Staff Writer
slyles@newsandpress.net
The Darlington City Pool is one of the few remaining sites available for the general public to enjoy a cool swim in the summer, and while the pool is set to open for the season on Wednesday, July 8, there will be some new safety restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We can only operate at 25 percent capacity, which means there can only be about 12 people inside the gate at any given time,” says Randy Weatherford, owner of city pool operator Poolwerx. “We wanted to give everybody the opportunity to swim, versus allowing someone to come in at 11 and swim all day until 7. We decided to open the pool in two-hour increments so the lifeguards can have their break and we have time to sanitize the pool area before the next group of people comes in.”
Weatherford says that after one shift of a dozen swimmers departs, all the pool area surfaces will be disinfected thoroughly, including bathrooms, handrails, ladders, chairs and any objects that may have come in contact with the virus. Then the next group of swimmers arrives, enjoys a nice splash session, and two hours later the process repeats.
On a first-come, first-served basis, swimmers will be permitted into the pool from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., 1-3 p.m., 3-5 p.m. and 5 -7 p.m.
The cost of admission is $1 per person, per two-hour session.
And yes, parents accompanying small children do count toward the 12-person limit, so families are asked to please limit the number of non-swimmers to the minimum required for supervision.
Kids 13 and under are required to have an adult guardian with them in order to swim.
While face masks are not required, social distancing and masks are encouraged.
“We’re just asking people to be smart and considerate. If they wear a mask everywhere else, they should wear one when they come to the pool,” Weatherford says.
Located at 115 Gary St., the Darlington City Pool will be open from 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
