Waterbury Rec dives back into summer swim season
Opening day at the pool is June 20
April 24, 2021 | By Jenny Koppang | Community News Service 
Waterbury's town pool is a magnet for children in local summer recreation programs and camps. Closed since 2019, the pool will open this summer with some new policies and programs in place to navigate COVID-19. File photo by Gordon Miller.
The Waterbury Community Pool will once again be bustling with swimmers this summer thanks to COVID-19-adjusted protocols.
After a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, the Waterbury recreation staff has pioneered a plan to allow the community to refresh poolside while ensuring safety this summer.
Waterbury Recreation Director Nick Nadeau said the pool will open June 20 with a maximum capacity of 80 swimmers, including lifeguards, at one time. The summer schedule will allow for swimming lessons, some public swim time, and Waterbury Rapids swim team training.
In an effort to enforce social distancing practices outside the pool, Nadeau said there will be a new “pod” system in which each household is assigned an area designated by Adirondack chairs on the green.
“Once at your pod, you may remove your mask if you’re going directly into the water, and vice versa – when you hop out of the water, you need to return directly to your pod and put your mask back on before you go to the bathroom or the snackbar,” he said.
Another addition to the pool will be a brand new, shade-inducing pergola, though Nadeau said they are still determining how to designate renting it out for individual households.
As of now, he said, this is how the summer is projected to proceed although the situation is subject to change. “As we get closer to the summer and get a better hold on what the COVID [case] numbers in our area are, we may relax some of this, but we want to make sure we start with the best foot forward,” Nadeau said. “It’s easier to let some slack out later than to pull back on an already loose line.”
Scheduling multiple uses
According to Nadeau, the pool will be open to the public Monday-Friday. The daily schedule will look like this:
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: Lanes will be available for members to reserve.
9 to 11 a.m.: Swim lessons will occupy the pool with 1-2 lanes open for reserved lap swimming.
11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.: General swim time, with a 15-minute break at 1:45 p.m. Rec camp participants will swim at this time, divided into two groups for two-hour sessions.
5 to 7 p.m.: Evening swim lessons; some lanes tentatively reserved for the summer swim team. Adult lap swim will not be available at this time.
On Saturdays the pool will be open for swim lessons from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with adult swim time available for members to request lanes. In one change from previous seasons, the pool will be closed to the general public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Nadeau said. One new idea he’s working on, however, is weekend pool rentals for private parties.
“The numbers showed that the weekend participation rate did not cover even close to the cost of operating the pool on the weekends,” he said. “So this year we’re trying to fiscally hold our responsibilities to the taxpayers of the town by introducing this pool rental.” They are still deciding on a rental rate, but Nadeau said it will be under $100 per hour.
Scaled-back swim team program returns
COVID-19 precautions have created some challenges for Waterbury’s summer swim team, the Rapids. Town pool programming and maintaining membership value take priority in the pool schedule, said Nadeau, and ensuring that activities operate safely has shortened the time available for organizations like the swim team to reserve lanes.
“Given the capacity issues and how big our program is, the swim team is going to propose a model that is more covid-friendly and aligns with the town of Waterbury’s program schedule,” he said. “Unfortunately, because of COVID, the availability that they’re historically used to wasn’t an option this year.”
The Waterbury Rapids swim team can return to the water this summer as the pool reopens. A tighter schedule with COVID-19 protocols will mean some adjustments. File photo by Gordon Miller.
Alysia Backman, a mother of a Rapids swimmer who serves on the team’s parent board, said that they are currently drafting a proposal that works around COVID protocols and the pool’s schedule.
“We will have access to [fewer] lanes, which means fewer swimmers,” Backman said. “We usually have around 40 swimmers in six lanes, but this summer we are proposing four lanes.”
The swim team usually consists of three age groups; 8 and under, 9-11, and 11+. But this summer, she said they decided to withhold the 8-and-under group because the pool itself provides lessons catered to this age.
Backman said that she hopes their proposal will be accepted and that the kids of Waterbury will be able to partake in the swim team experience this summer.
“The Rapids have been Waterbury’s swim team for 20 years, so there is a historical aspect here and we have a lot of hope and excitement to have a swim team program for the community this season,” she said.
Starting June 20, the pool will be open for eight weeks this summer and will close on Aug. 14. The next day, Sunday, Aug. 15, is designated as “Doggy Day” in which Waterbury pooches will have free range of the pool.
Pool membership for adults is $85 for Waterbury residents, $125 for non-residents. A family membership, which includes 50% off all swim lessons, is $100 for residents, $150 for non-residents.
Swim lessons will be offered for a range of ages and skill levels from the youngest “Aqua Tots” to Pre-K to Levels 1-5. COVID-19 regulations call for a cap of eight swimmers per session. Each class runs for eight lessons at a rate of $80 for residents or $40 with a family membership discount. Details and registration for pool memberships, swim lessons, and other summer programs are live now on the town website waterburyvt.com under the recreation department tab.
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