Two of Charleston's four community pools will be open this weekend for community members to cool down in as the summer heat rolls in.
Cato Park and Kanawha City Community Center's pools will be available and free to the public every day, while the pools at Martin Luther King Jr. and North Charleston community centers will remain closed until more lifeguards can be hired, according to a news release from Mayor Danny Jones' office.
"We run into this every year. Some kids [who lifeguard] are still in school, and some of the seniors that are graduating are off on senior trips and things like that, so that's what we run into," said John Charnock, director of Charleston's Parks and Recreation department. "In the end, though, we always get going."
Charnock is sure all four pools will be up and running in no time. There are 25 lifeguards already hired and 10 are currently being processed. Once those are all finalized, he said things should all work out. While they'd like to have more, Charnock is confident that won't be a problem once all the area high schools let out for summer break.
The Charleston city pools are free to the public under a directive from Jones' office. Charnock said he believes this is the 12th year of honoring that directive, and it's been very beneficial for the city and community members.
"Opening for free increases the numbers, but it's a chance for people to get out and cool off during the hot months," Charnock said. "It's a quality of life issue for Charleston."
Those interested in applying to be lifeguards should visit the employment page on the City if Charleston's website at http://charlestonwv.gov/government/employment
Hours for the opened city pools:
n Cato Park: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day
n Kanawha City Community Center: noon to 6 p.m. every day