Park Board holds off on pool decision

The New Hampton Park Board Wednesday evening held off a decision on whether or not to open the city’s swimming pool this summer.
After a lengthy discussion, board members agreed that they might be willing to open the pool on July 1, if Gov. Kim Reynolds allows “open swimming.” As of now, pools can reopen but only for lap swimming and swim lessons, and board members did not feel opening the pool just for those two things was possible.
The current proclamation Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis issued by the governor runs through June 17, and the Park Board will in all likelihood hold off on a final decision until then although it does meet next week for its regular monthly meeting.
The other question the pool may face, Parks and Recreation Director Rick Kramer and Program Manager Tara Hackman said, is will it have enough staff? Ten of the 12 lifeguards hired have indicated they will take another job if offered one because they don’t know if the pool will open.
Also on Wednesday, the Park Board agreed to cancel all summer programs for those ranging from preschool-age to first grade, save for “level” swimming lessons that might be offered to students coming out of kindergarten and first grade.
Board members also set up some parameters for its baseball and softball programs. All teams will begin practicing on June 8, and grades 2-4 will play only inter-city games while grades 5-7 will be able to travel within the county or to cities in counties with similar “COVID-19 numbers” to Chickasaw County’s.
— For more on this story, see the June 2 Tribune