Cedar Rapids pools to open with 508 new chaise lounge chairs

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids pool users will have a place to splash and a place to lounge when the municipal pools open Memorial Day weekend.

Last month, the Cedar Rapids City Council approved the purchase of 508 chaise lounge chairs to be used at the city's five outdoor pools. The new chairs will replace ones purchased 13 to 16 years ago, according to Gail Loskill, spokeswoman for the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, citing information from Angie Cole, recreation superintendent, and Carolyn Hamilton, aquatics supervisor.

'Our patrons routinely request that we add more lounge chairs,” Loskill said in an email.

The City Council on April 10 approved a $60,807 contract with Contract Furnishings International Inc. of Sarasota, Fla., for the chaise lounge chairs. That's about $120 each. Five vendors submitted bids.

Loskill pointed to attendance on a July afternoon to support the need for the chairs. On hot days, the Noelridge pool can have up to 1,100 patrons; Cherry Hill, 1,000; Bever, 200; Ellis, 250; and Jones, up to 160.

Noelridge will get 146 of the new chairs, bringing its total number in good condition to 223. Cherry Hill will get 175, bringing its total to 379. Bever will get 57, bringing its total to 94. Ellis and Jones each will get 65, bringing their totals to 123 and 115, respectively.

'Many of the old chairs have broken over the years and have been recycled if they were not able to be repaired,” Loskill said. 'We use chairs until they are no longer able to be repaired.”

Pools are slated to open for preseason swimming Memorial Day weekend. Regular season swimming is slated to begin June 2, timed just after the Cedar Rapids Community School District's last day of school June 1.

Complete schedules can be found at crrec.org or in the Play! guide.

JOHNSON COUNTY

Iowa City and Coralville's outdoor pools are scheduled to open June 2.

Iowa City's City Park Pool has an admission price of $4 before 5 p.m. and $2 after. Matthew Eckhardt, aquatic supervisor, said the pool is 70 years old and takes 750,000 gallons of water to fill.

Additionally, the city's two indoor pools, Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center and the Mercer Park Aquatic Center, are open. Iowa City's three splash pads are scheduled to be up and running Memorial Day weekend.

More information can be found at icgov.org/pools

The Coralville Community Aquatic Center's admission fee is the same as last year, $4.50. Faron VanNostrand, aquatics supervisor, said one new thing this year is that a morning swim lesson session will be held outside.

'It is a great opportunity for kids to experience what their parents or grandparents may have experienced back in the day,” VanNostrand said in an email.

More information about the aquatic center and the city's indoor pool can be found on Coralville.org.

The North Liberty Aquatic Center will open Memorial Day weekend, while the city's indoor pool is open year-round. Pool admission is $4.

Residents can go to northlibertyiowa.org to find more information on the city's pools.

The Gazette's Madison Arnold contributed to this report.

l Comments: (319) 398-8310; brian.morelli@thegazette.com

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