Back in the swim

It was as if 11-year-old Madison Dean and her 10-year-old brother Preston had waited a lifetime for this day to come. After all, last summer, their town was dry in every sense of the word, with temperatures upward of 100 degrees and the Cheney swimming pool closed due to lack of funding.

When the taxpayers passed a 4.75 percent energy tax in September 2003 — ater a 6.5 percent increase was shot down seven months earlier — the Deans reclaimed their favorite summer activity. And they were determined to be the first in line and the first to jump into the pool.

“I want to get wet,” said Madison, moments before the doors were unlocked at 10 a.m. Friday. “We live for swimming.”

Day one of the reopening of the Cheney pool, located at Hageline Park on Cedar and North Eighth streets, was a huge success, said pool manager Cari Heinemann. Nearly 200 people passed through the gate from the time the Deans made their inaugural splash landings to the time the last swimmer got out of the pool at the 10 p.m. close.

“I’m dying to go swimming,” 11-year-old Amy Baccarella said while buying a pass. “And I want to see how much it’s changed since another person is running it.”

The new person in charge is Paul Simmons, who was hired as community recreation director in April. Simmons, 25, assembled a staff of Heinemann, 15 lifeguards and three cashiers. Nine of the lifeguards also are swim instructors.

The reopening of the pool marked the revitalization of summer recreation in Cheney. When the voters turned down an energy tax increase in February 2003, it resulted in last summer’s closure of the pool and park restroom. Nine employees were either laid off or reassigned.

Simmons said he has an annual budget of $377,000. Part of the money was used to hire an outside contractor to sandblast, replace the lining and recaulk the pool. Maintenance workers painted the inside of the pool. A new chlorine system also was installed. The pool, the only outdoor pool on the West Plains, is 40 years old.

Simmons said there also are plans to resurface and relight the Cedar Street tennis courts in the fall or spring.

“Paul was what we needed,” said Heinemann, a senior at Eastern Washington University. “We needed someone to take the bull by the horns and go with it.”

Simmons and the pool employees also organized a family barbecue on opening day, which added to the excitement.

“We almost sold out of everything at the barbecue. People were coming up to us and telling us, ‘You should do this again,’ ” Heinemann said. “Everything went really well. We had a lot of families.”

The pool is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. (adult laps) to 8 p.m. Open swim is from 1 to 4 p.m. Swim lessons are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and two nights a week.

Private rental for parties is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 10 p.m., and on Sundays.

The complete schedule and price-package list can be picked up at the pool.