High temperatures pack outdoor municipal pool

The outdoor municipal pool has been busy this week as temperatures soared to 100 degrees.

?We?ve been packed,? said pool superintendent Christy Leazer.

She estimated 550 people splashed in the outdoor pool Wednesday looking for a way to beat the heat, and the Fairfield Kiwanis Club-sponsored free night at the pool Tuesday brought 245 people through the gates in two hours.

The hot weather has affected the pool temperatures as well.

?The water feels like a bath,? Leazer commented during swim lessons this morning. The regularly 80 to 85 degree water is more like 90 degrees today.

Leazer said use of the outdoor pool started slow this summer thanks to cooler temperatures and wet weather.

?The last two weeks have been wonderful,? she said.

Leazer hopes the outdoor pool will make it through the rest of the summer. The filters are leaking so bad, they need to be re-sealed each morning, she said.

By evening, the pool has to shut down one of the diving boards because the water is so cloudy. Leazer doesn?t want to take any chances when lifeguards can?t see the bottom.

However, Leazer said the water is crystal clear by morning, so the filters are catching up overnight.

The indoor pool also has been busy during this extreme weather. Leazer said a lot of people are swimming at the indoor pool at night to escape the heat. The indoor pool will, however, close Monday for two weeks of maintenance work.