Pool opening delayed

The Trousdale County Public Works Department has decided to push back the opening of the public swimming pool in Hartsville until Tuesday.

Currently, there are only a limited number of qualified lifeguards to man the pool.

The county encountered the same issue last year and is trying to remedy the situation for this year’s pool season.

“Last year, it (the number of lifeguards) got pretty thin, but we managed to keep the pool open,” said Trousdale County Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Bubba Gregory. “This year, as a committee, we have done all we can do to try and get the word out that we need lifeguards. We’ve tried to push it, because we’d like to see the pool open.”

The pool was originally scheduled to open today, but due to the lack of qualified lifeguards, the decision was made to delay the opening until the next group of lifeguards has passed the mandatory swimming test and attended the lifeguard training school that is provided by the county.

“We have another class (of lifeguards) that (tested) on Friday,” said Trousdale County Public Works Administrative Assistant Tracy Ausderau. “Whoever passed will go through the class for the week. We (sent) five, so we’ll soon know if one or if all five pass. So, (the public works department) has decided to push back the opening of the pool until next Tuesday depending on how many pass.”

According to Ausderau, the public works department has scheduled a meeting to make final decisions regarding the days and hours of the pool for this year.

“We are going to meet again Monday night to discuss it,” said Ausderau. “There is a great possibility (that the pool hours may be modified), but we won’t know anything until Monday night.”

For those with questions regarding this year’s pool schedule, they can call the pool office at 615-374-1129.