Village Of Richmondville Pool Closing Aug 10

RICHMONDVILLE — Swimmers looking to take a few more cool dips in the Village of Richmondville Pool only have a few days left this summer to do it.

As expected, the pool will be closing early this season because of a lack of lifeguards. Village Clerk-Treasurer Jenifer Fisher confirmed Wednesday the last day will be Sunday, Aug. 10, with normal hours that day of 1 to 7 p.m.

She and other village officials had indicated the early closing was more than likely at the July 21 Board of Trustees meeting, but Fisher still attempted to find more help without success. She said Wednesday she was unable to find more lifeguards and that the existing staff is unable to extend their seasons because they need to get back to their colleges.

The pool is normally open through the end of August. At the July 21 meeting, several suggestions were brought up to possibly prevent this problem next summer. Trustee Robert Hyatt said maybe the village could pay for required fees for lifeguards to get qualified to work up front rather than reimbursing those fees afterward.

Trustee Lisabeth Kabel said perhaps lifeguard jobs could be promoted more on Social Media sites like Facebook and Mayor Carl Warner Jr. suggested the positions could be promoted more at Cobleskill-Richmondville schools. Discussion at the meeting indicated difficulty finding enough lifeguards was not a problem unique to Richmondville but common at pools throughout the region.

A notice recently posted both at the Richmondville Pool and the village municipal building on Main Street reads: "Pool is scheduled to close August 10th due to staffing availability." The pool is located off of Main Street in back of Radez Elementary School.