CAMAS — Carson Kvistad, 8, and his 5-year-old sister, Savannah, joyously kicked, splashed and paddled around the Camas Swimming Pool’s shallow end Wednesday afternoon as their mother, Melanie, floated near the wall.
The Kvistads and other area children have had fewer chances to frolic in Camas’ public outdoor pool this summer due not only to unseasonably cool temperatures, but also because of reductions in the pool’s operating hours.
“We haven’t had many warm days, but when we do it’s great,” said Kvistad, 38, a mother of three living in Camas.
The Camas Swimming Pool cut its summer season from 10 weeks to eight weeks as part of citywide budget reductions, said Kathi Hansen, the city’s recreation coordinator and pool director. The pool, 120 N.E. 17th Ave., also has reduced hours for daily swimming sessions. The summer season opened June 27 and closes Aug. 20.
Camas is home to Clark County’s only public outdoor pool. As such, residents from across the county bring their children on summer days to cool off. On a warm day, the pool hosts upward of 400 swimmers for lessons and recreation.
The cutbacks were unfortunate, Hansen said, but the alternative was closure. Instead, officials slashed around $30,000 from their budget by reducing staff hours. The number of positions remained constant, Hansen said.
“The pool is one of those things that is a wonderful recreational opportunity for the citizens, but it costs a lot,” Hansen said. “It costs a lot more than it brings in.”
The true worth of Camas’ outdoor pool to the community can’t be measured in dollars and cents, City Administrator Lloyd Halverson said.
“It’s a place with wholesome, wonderful fun for children and families,” he said, adding that swimming lessons there mitigate drowning risks for young swimmers.
Some people have criticized the pool’s new hours, Hanson conceded. Among the cuts were family swim times being reduced from two-hour sessions to 90-minute sessions.
While parents described the decrease in hours as disappointing, they praised the pool for the inexpensive fun it offers. Children younger than 12 can swim for $3. All others swim for $4. Swim packages are also available.
Vancouver resident Shelley Carter brought two grandchildren to the pool Wednesday afternoon. She brings them once a year. She watched them from poolside.
Why not choose a Vancouver pool for their outing?
“When you have a nice sunny day, who wants to be inside swimming?” Carter asked.
