Getting Cedar Rapids’ swimming pools ready can take a lot of work

Not long ago, a drive by one of the city pools in Cedar Rapids would reveal that they were full of snow. And while the snow may be melted, temperatures aren't anywhere near swimming weather just yet.

Despite that fact, the city of Cedar Rapids Recreation Maintenance staff has been busy prepping the city pools for summer swimming.

The outdoor public pools open for the year on Memorial Day weekend. Gerry Kirk, recreation maintenance manager for the city, said his staff - which includes five full-time staff and an additional four seasonal employees who will be in place by May - get to work, going together pool by pool, to prep for the summer.

Their first task is putting a lot of equipment back together.

'We are in the filter houses and bath houses putting the plumbing back together,” Kirk said. 'We are about 35 to 40 percent done so far.”

Kirk said his team has to take out everything that holds water - showers, stools, piping - at the end of each season to prepare for Iowa's winters.

'If we lived in California, we wouldn't have to do this much work,” Kirk said. 'Most people don't realize the man-hours it takes to get the pools up and running.”

Charlie Rochford, vice president of Pool Tech Midwest Inc. in Cedar Rapids, knows it can be a lot of work.

'How a pool wakes up in the spring is based on how well it was winterized and put to bed,” he said.

Rochford said during his 22 years in the business, people ask him most what he does all winter.

'Most people do not realize how many indoor facilities that we take care of and work with as well,” he said.

A family-owned company, Pool Tech Midwest sells, designs, constructs and services residential and commercial pools and spas. He agreed with Kirk that Mother Nature can be a friend or foe in the pool industry.

'Right now we are still waiting for the ice to melt,” he said when he was interviewed in late March. 'Warm weather is our best friend at this time of year.”

Todd Odeen, maintenance worker on Kirk's crew, said he was pleased with how things held up this past harsh winter.

'With the winter we had, we are still waiting for the frost to leave so we can fill the pools, but I am really happy with the way our facilities held up.”

The first week in May

The city recreation maintenance staff will fill the pools the first week of May.

'On average they take two days to fill,” said Kirk, noting it's an automatic system they set up, turn on and monitor.

Once the pools are filled, they spend the second week of May adding the necessary chemicals and getting the water levels stabilized before they turn on the heaters the third week of May.

'It's a lengthy process to get the pools watered up,” Kirk said.

Rochford said Pool Tech Midwest's business ramped up in January when homeowners begin dreaming about sitting poolside.

'Business starts to pick up in January for both commercial and residential customers with the start of ...

home shows, exhibitor shows, manufacturer training and distributor meetings to keep current on equipment and products in the pool and spa industry,” he said. 'At this time, both residential and commercial customers begin their general planning for the summer season.”

While there are similarities in operating residential and commercial pools - including safety of patrons with respect to water chemistry and proper mechanical functions - Rochard said there are distinct differences in operating pools year-round.

'The major difference is the rules and regulations that we must follow and adhere to on the commercial pools, such as the Iowa Department of Public Health Rules and Regulations and mandates that come down from the federal government,” Rochford explained.

The city of Cedar Rapids staffers - all certified pool operators - must account for and adhere to the same state regulations related to the safety of the pools as well.

'Safety for our staff and patrons, of course, is always our biggest concern,” Kirk said.

In 2013 city pools saw more than 201,000 patrons. That number fluctuates, thanks to the weather, from some 156,000 to more than 210,000 in a given year.

For the city, some pool maintenance work, such as painting the interior of the pool, is contracted out. Other maintenance work happens in the fall after the pools are closed up for the summer, in late August.

'We are proud to say we do the majority of the work on our pools within our department,” said Kirk, noting the advanced technical skills of his team.

He said they remain on call day and night to deal with any issues or accidents that may come up.

Kirk said his staff works hard year-round either, not just during the 95 days of pool operation per season. With six facilities - five outdoor pools and one year-round indoor pool - the maintenance staff has a variety of things to handle.

'Each pool has its own challenges,” Odeen said. 'They are 10 years old now. And there's definitely something different every day.”