Despite Pool Closure, Glenwood Children Will Have Options To Cool Off This Summer

Their hometown swimming pool may be closed, but there are still some opportunities for Glenwood children to cool off with a splash of water this summer.

In addition to public swimming hours at the Mills County YMCA and a series of Sunday afternoon hydrant parties hosted by Glenwood Fire & Rescue, transportation is available from Glenwood to the Malvern Swimming Pool two days a week.

Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) will be providing round-trip transportation from the Glenwood Middle School to the Malvern Pool on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The SWITA bus will leave from the Glenwood Middle School at 1 p.m. and depart Malvern at 4 p.m. for the return ride back to Glenwood. The price of the round-trip excursion is $5 or no cost to children who have a SWITA Summer Fun Bus Pass. The $5 fee does not include admission to the Malvern Swimming Pool.

Student riders must be registered with SWITA and the intention to ride the bus must be given at least one day in advance. Rides can be scheduled by emailing swita@swipco.org or calling the office at 712-243-4196.

This month, the Malvern Swimming Pool is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The closure hour may be extended after June depending on demand. Daily admission rates at the pool are $5 for a person age 13 or older, $3 for children ages 5-12 and $1 for children under the age of 5.

“We do test to determine swimming strength for children without supervision, but the minimum age to enter without a parent or guardian is 10 years old,” said Malvern City Clerk Joe George.

Malvern has a large main pool and a smaller kids pool for children age 5 and under. Children at the kids pool must be accompanied by an adult.

George said pool officials will assess the need for additional staff on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“We are expecting an (attendance) increase similar to what we saw a couple years back when their (Glenwood) pool was closed,” he said. “We did see an increase in customers. One thing that will be interesting this year, with the set days that we’ll be receiving customers from that SWITA bus, we’re anticipating increased staffing and just trying to figure out what that looks like from a management standpoint.”

Additional information about the Malvern City Pool is available on the city’s website.

Parents who want their children to swim in Glenwood can utilize the public swimming hours at the Mills County YMCA – Mondays from 4-6 p.m., Wednesdays from 4-7:30 p.m., Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to Noon and Sundays from Noon to 3 p.m. Swimming is included in a YMCA membership, while non-members are required to pay a daily non-member admission fee ($13 for persons age 18 and older, $6 for youth under the age of 18). Any child under the age of 10, must be accompanied by another person at least 16 years old.

In addition to its open swimming hours, the YMCA will be offering morning swim lessons throughout the summer months on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. The first session of lessons began this week. The next session will be June 17-26. Available times are 9 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The YMCA has both member and non-member rates for its swimming classes.

“Swim lessons, we offer year-around, but summer is a great time for a refresher,” Mills County YMCA Aquatics Director Alexis Unger said.

Additional information about the lessons is available at the YMCA.

A third option for children this summer is Glenwood Fire & Rescue’s hydrant parties. The parties will take on Sunday’s from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the following locations:

June 8 – Maplewood Circle.

June 15 – Glenwood Lake Park.

June 22 – Intersection of Crossway and Timberlane Dr.

June 29 – Empty lot at 502 N. Myrtle St.

July 6 – 900 N. Vine St. near Northeast Elementary School.

The hydrant parties, hosted by Glenwood Fire & Rescue personnel, are being provided free of charge.