May 10, 2023 734 PM
MARFA — The Marfa Activities Center Pool is slated to open the first week of June, pending lifeguard training and necessary repairs to pool wiring, shared City Manager Mandy Roane in a council meeting on Tuesday.
As of late, the city has struggled to attract lifeguards as the 1960s-era facility, the only fully public pool in town, continues to deteriorate. Public discussions held over the past year or so relating to how to reimagine the future of the town’s aquatic facilities have since stalled.
Roane said the city received six applicants this summer for the MAC lifeguard positions, having extended the deadline after only one was turned in — but none were over 17 and there were no candidates for the supervisor position.
“It’s not a huge deal. It’s just in the past, we’ve had someone who’s a little bit older to oversee scheduling and things like that,” said Roane.
For now, the six lifeguard candidates are scheduled to attend lifeguard training in Presidio at the end of the month. In order for the pool to remain open throughout the summer, it will require four certified lifeguards, but preferably more to allow for flexibility for time off, said Roane. And adequate training would be paramount for the applicants.
“I have talked to some of the kids, and some of them are maybe a bit worried about their swimming skills,” said Roane.
In addition to pending lifeguard certification results, repairs needed to be made to the wiring which controls the pool’s lighting, said Roane, something that needs to be fixed by an electrician for insurance purposes for the pool to be open to the public. Should those repairs be completed and enough lifeguards properly certified, the pool will open for the summer, said Roane.
“That is the very, very, very rough plan. Everything has to line up just right to make that happen,” she said.
Marfa ISD’s Summer Shake Up Program is hoping to have the pool open for the summer and has helped campaign for lifeguard candidates and funds. If the pool opens, the program intends to offer swimming lessons for local children, for which they have located qualified instructors and could accommodate up to 64 pupils.
