Pool caps off great season

The Red Oak Municipal Pool has capped off another great season.
After a slow start in May due to lingering unfavorable weather, pool manager Georgana Derr said attendance really picked up steam.
“The attendance numbers are definitely better than last year, though the weather this month really threw us for a loop. I thought we were going to be busier but the weather really took a turn for the cold and wet and so I think we will probably end the year at about 8,300 visits,” advised Derr.  I was really hoping for 10,000 but the weather has been all over the place in August, and May was so cold. I was really proud about being open so early this season, and then the temperatures in May for a stretch were in the mid 50s. We were the only people in southwest Iowa open for weeks.”
Despite some uncooperative weather, Derr said 2025 was a strong season overall.
“Our season was 87 days, a full 12 weeks, which I’m really proud of and I think we closed for about three days due to lightning or because it was cold. Other than that we were open seven days a week, the whole season,” said Derr. “This has been our biggest season since COVID-19. I think being open every single day and getting our reputation back of being open and staffed and ready to swim has really done a loot to keep boosting our attendance.”
As for the season’s end, Derr said it was determined by the loss of much of her pool staff.
“It’s ending at the normal time between losing kids going to college, all of my band camp kids going to band camp for two weeks, and football and volleyball have started so those kids are busy as well. I also have many teachers that work for me and they started on Aug. 18, so it was naturally the perfect time to close. This gives everyone a week before school starts on Aug. 25,” commented Derr.
The pool had some new features this year, and one of them proved to be overwhelmingly popular. 
“Our swimming lessons were definitely a highlight this year. We advertised for three sessions of group lessons, and we ended up doing four because we added a night one and then we did 48 sets of private lessons. Those that signed up for private lessons got five 30-minute lessons. This was the first year we’ve done lessons since the renovated pool has been open and it was a huge success. I’m excited to continue that into next year.”
She also gave a preview on some of the things she’d like to add to the roster for the 2026 season.
“I want to bring back twilight swim. We’re going to do that once a week, every day on the same day. I think that will be fantastic. I’m also going to bring back and do more theme weeks. Our patrons and our staff really loved those things. So, I want to bring that back. We will continue to do after-hour parties, those were popular. Also, birthday parties at the pool this year really blew up. Those are great for everyone because they’re very affordable and a lot of fun,” explained Derr.
Also, while there were a few closures due to weather, Derr said they didn’t have to close for any technical issues.
“I cannot thank the water department and Red Oak park superintendent Adam Van Der Vliet enough. They kept everything running wonderfully. There was no bubble this year, so their patch to fix it worked wonderfully. The fix they made for the bubble lasted all season, and there are professionals coming to repair it more fully later this year.”
Derr said one repair is pending. Crews got the mat in for the baby slide, and that will be changed before the 2026 season.
“The process for that was going to take too long because you have to drain the pool slowly and then put water back in. So, we just decided to do that in September or October of this year, after we close. The existing mat has worked for us all this season, thankfully,” Derr advised.
As is the case with past seasons, Derr said they capped off this one with a special event on Aug. 17.
“I decided this year we might as well just do our doggy dip straight away because I didn’t know what the weather would be like. Every year is different, either it’s hot, and everyone wishes we were open, or it’s freezing and not at all ideal for swimming. I felt that we should just go for it and hold it right on closing day, which I’m glad for because the weather is going to be really nice. People were able to participate for a free will donation and all of the donations went to the Love Jerry fund for low-cost immunizations and vaccinations,” stated Derr.
Another contributor to the successful pool season was the return of many of her 2024 season staff.
“This year, I had a total of 30 returning staff out of around 35 last year, so that was fantastic. I hired a couple more to fill in during the season.. I’ve already started recruiting staff and trying to get them into lifeguard class. The YMCA has already announced their lifeguard classes for December, May and June. So, I’m trying to get kids in that because I have many staff graduating and who are going to college or who want to go take internship opportunities and things like that, which are absolutely great opportunities for them. So, I think next year will be maybe a younger staff,” said Derr.
Derr speculated on what keeps the staff coming back year after year to the pool.
“I think consistency in management has helped, having the same person every year and then also recruiting throughout the year. Another thing that I believe helps is having managers who work in the high school. That’s really helpful to drum interest and by talking people individually. It’s a year-round thing to keep the excitement about the pool going,” Derr commented. “Also, this isn’t a job where you can just show up and work on the first day. You have to be trained and certified. We’re constantly making sure that we get people in those training classes so they’re ready to work, as well as reminding our staff when they need to be recertified because it’s only good for two years and getting them in those recertification classes.”
Another highlight of the season for Derr was having enough staff that there were never any concerns.
“I was very glad we weren’t in a situation of having to close sections or only be open a little bit. Getting to do our entire schedule the whole time with all of our staff was a game changer. Also, there’s just so much comfort when people come back. They’re so much more confident in their second year,” explained Derr.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with people glad that the pool was open and supportive of the swimming lessons offered. The pool also had regular attendance from outside of the area, as well as visitors from across the pond.
“We had a lot of people from Griswold come down to take swimming lessons because they don’t have a pool up there anymore. I had two friends from Papillion, Neb. to come to our pool almost every day because they loved it so much and appreciated that we were so fun and friendly. I did have a lot of people from Glenwood and Malvern. Last year, during RAGBRAI, we had an attendee all the way from Sweden, and this year, we had some visitors from Germany. We also had a lot of visitors from Omaha. Every weekend seemed to bring our out-of-town people. There were a lot of grandparents who brought their grandkids so that was fun.”
One of the best things about this year, Derr said, was the addition of an updated website and internet at the pool.
“It was fantastic to have an up-to-date website that had our current prices, our forms, all of that was phenomenal. I cannot thank city administrator Lisa Kotter enough for helping us get our website going, but then also getting us internet here so we could take credit cards. That was half of our business transactions. We also have a new pool pass system so everyone who currently has a pool pass will just remain in the system and then next year, if they get another pool pass we’ll just click that it’s on again so people don’t have to go through the registration process. We can just turn it back on for them,” Derr stated.  “Just getting the technology and getting us up to the times has been really helpful and has made the office a lot easier instead of the copious amounts of paperwork we used to do. As for Facebook, I update it every day still and it’s been a great way to share information and fun videos and pictures. We’re going to keep doing that because it’s effective, though I think people are actually visiting the website more.
Derr said she will once again be re-applying for the pool manager job next year, and is hopeful to manage the pool for yet another season. She also offered a special message to the 8,300 patrons that visited the pool this year.
“I appreciate them all for supporting the Red Oak outdoor pool. It was a great year and we’re going to keep moving forward. If anyone has any ideas, shoot me a message on Messenger on the Facebook page. I would love to read them,” said Derr.
Plans are for the 2026 pool season to start on the last day of school in May, weather permitting, but no later than June 1. If anyone is interested in serving as a lifeguard next year, contact the Montgomery County Family YMCA.