ABOVE: Fairmont Aquatic Park’s new Manager Shayna Wolfe stands with the filled kids’ area and in front of the slides as the new season is set to begin Monday, June 1.

FAIRMONT – A new year means new leadership at the Fairmont Aquatic Park as the finishing touches are being put on for opening day, June 1.

The work started after the pool closed last year, as Building Maintenance Worker Eric Sandwick said they were up against the weather’s eventual shift.

“If there’s any maintenance issues that have popped up, stuff that’s hard to do while it’s running, we’ll take care of that,” he said. “If there’s any bigger projects, we’ll try to get them done with the good weather we still have left, and then as we get closer to the park closings, we have to winterize the building. That also involves the dog park, because they share a water line.”

After the winter subsided, there was also plenty of work to do in the months leading up to the pool’s opening.

“Turning the water on, checking for leaks, anything that may have happened over the winter,” Sandwick said. “Then it’s going through each pool, going through the pumps, the sand filters, concrete repairs and painting. The list is endless, really.”

Some of the projects undertaken between seasons this year included replacing a burst PVC line, repairing the gutter around the splash pad and adding new sand filters for the splash pool. They will also be adding a new handicap-accessible chair for the big pool next to the diving area.

Besides that, what’s left is to continue filling the pools and testing all areas to ensure they are ready for opening day.

It has been a busy two months for Shayna Wolfe, the new Department Head Manager at the Fairmont Aquatic Park. She started in early April, and is looking to learn all she can from this experience for her future career.

“I’m currently a special education teacher,” Wolfe said. “I’m going back to school currently in grad school for an education administration license. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get a little taste of what’s to come when that next journey or chapter presents itself.”

In particular, Wolfe said she is looking to soak up more on leadership, strong communication and overall effective operations.

“Anything else that the park needs, it usually rolls through me, just as much as a principal or a superintendent,” she said.

Since she started, Wolfe has seen firsthand how much needs to get done before a season starts.

“There is a lot of planning,” she said. “Prepping in for the next schedule, how swimming lessons get set up, getting Aquacizes out there, making report cards for swimming lessons. The next step is meeting with [and] making sure who comes back next season for lifeguards, so that we’re prepared to see. Now it’s been scheduling. Getting the schedule set up, knowing that we have people in place and who’s coming back.

This year, the pool will only be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday until July 11, when it will open to its full hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pool will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday throughout the pool’s season. Wolfe said this is due to evening swimming lessons.

“For those parents who are not able to make it to the morning sessions,” she said. “Those typically run from June 8 all the way up until that mid-July mark. That does give opportunities for working parents who can come after work hours to attend those swimming lessons.”

Before opening, Wolfe said there is another round of lifeguard training which will hopefully round out the staffing levels they need.

“We’re looking to have three assistant managers,” she said. “We’ve got roughly four to six head guards. Between concession stands and lifeguards, we’ve got about 30 altogether. Hoping to get another group here after our training this weekend to come apply and hopefully join the team.”

In her first stint this year, Wolfe said she is looking to ensure the public can enjoy a fun, cooled-off summer.

“My goal is to really bring more patrons to the park,” she said. “I know it’s always a hit and miss. Some people are about it, some are not. My intent for this is to make every season just enjoyable and fun for everybody.”

For more information, visit fairmont.org/aquaticpark/ or facebook.com/FmtAP/.