By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the June 22 regular meeting of the Guthrie Center City Council, discussion was held regarding the need to assure that adequate lifeguard service is being provided at the city’s aquatic center. Faith Laboy attended the meeting and shared her observations.
“I’ve been taking my daycare kids to the pool this summer, and we’ve got some issues down there,” Laboy said. “At one point, one of our lifeguards was sleeping up in the chair.”
Laboy went on to describe seeing other concerning situations, including inadequate lifeguard staffing and inadequate scanning of the pool by lifeguards on duty.
City Administrator Kris Arrasmith said she reminded the lifeguards that the staffing requirements for the pool are based on the size of the pool, not on how many people are in the pool at any given time.
In other news, Arrasmith provided an update regarding the city’s preparations for RAGBRAI.
“We are going to offer showers down at the bath house. We are going to be selling those. We will use the money from that to go toward a Frisbee golf course, maybe next year or the year after,” Arrasmith said.
Arrasmith also noted that some city staff/volunteers will be able to use golf carts rather than trying to navigate busy city streets when thousands of visitors are in town on July 20.
“Jeremy over at Panora NAPA is going to donate golf carts for us to use during RAGBRAI, because getting vehicles around town will not be a good time,” she said.
The council set a public hearing regarding the proposed sale of slightly more than six acres of real estate near the cemetery. The hearing will be at the beginning of the next council meeting, July 13.
As part of the consent agenda, the council approved building and/or fence permits for 101 Main St. (J. Coons, screened-in porch), 309 South Seventh St. (C. Newman, fence) and 506 North Fifth St. (R. Edgington, small portable shed).
Arrasmith said on Sunday afternoon, July 19, the city will ask that no vehicles be parked along certain streets in the downtown area in preparation for RAGBRAI.
The next regular meeting of the council is set for Monday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.