By Jim Bloch
You know summer is at hand when the St. Clair community pool opens for the season.
The official opening day for the five-lane outdoor pool is Saturday, June 13, with open swim taking place noon-5 p.m.
The pool sits on the northwest corner of the old high school/middle school property on Sixth Street. Its address is 715 Orchard.
Lap swimmers get a jump on the season with the pool opening Monday, June 8, through Thursday, June 12, 10-11 a.m., for distance training.
The pool features moveable stairs into the 3.5-foot-deep shallow end, a diving board in the deep end, locker rooms, and lifeguards certified by the American Red Cross. The aquatics coordinator is Sue Likins.
Per person admission at the gate is $2; kids four and under get in free. Season passes are available at the pool: $100 for families; $50 for individuals and kids 17 and under; and $45 for senior citizens.
Swim lessons run two weeks, June 15-July 2. The cost is $45 for residents and $65 for non-residents. Lessons are held Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Swimmers will be tested on the first day to slot them into levels.
Introduction to competitive swimming – swim team – runs June 15-July 21 with meets on Fridays. The team works out Mondays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon. Cost is $60 per swimmer or $125 per family.
Fundraiser for the pool
A day after the pool opens, on Sunday, June 14, a local group is sponsoring a fundraiser called “Dive In and Give Back.”
“Women’s Life Chapter 814 are putting together an event to benefit the pool,” announced City Clerk Annette Sturdy at the regular meeting of the St. Clair City Council, June 1. “As you know, we do have a budget for repairs and facility maintenance at the pool.”
The fundraiser is for additional amenities at the pool, to be determined.
“There will be food trucks, raffles, games and live music, so please stop by between 12 noon and 5 p.m.,” said Sturdy, as heard on the CTV-Channel 6 recording of the meeting posted on YouTube.
Games include musical float chairs, best cannonball, biggest splash, dive sticks, water balloon toss, sponge racing and more.
The organization will also conduct a coloring contest for pre-school through elementary school children. Download a copy of the coloring page from the Facebook page of Women’s Life-Chapter 814, St. Clair, MI.
Entry the pool on the day of the event is $3. Women’s Life will match a portion of the proceeds raised at the event.
The pool’s summer season runs through Aug. 14.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
