MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury’s town pool will not be open to the general public this summer due to COVID-19 safety concerns, according to Middlebury Parks and Recreation Superintendent Dustin Hunt.
Hunt said in an email on Thursday that pool use will be limited to use by town recreation and Mary Johnson Children’s Center day camp groups, to some swim lessons, and to small-group practices by the Middlebury Swim Team.
“Because each of these groups will fill the 25-person limit currently ordered by the state we cannot open to the general public,” Hunt wrote. “It was certainly a difficult decision but we feel this is the best course of action to keep our employees, campers and the general public safe.”
Hunt said the day camps will be divided into six groups of 25 campers each with a one-hour time limit.
Plans for swimming lessons are still being developed, Hunt said.
“While it won’t be the full slate we typically offer we strongly believe that water safety and knowing how to swim are essential life skills,” he wrote. “We will focus on the beginner levels for younger kids for the time being.”
The swim team had 50 swimmers interested in signing up this summer even though their competitive Champlain Valley Swim League season was canceled weeks ago.
Hunt said small-group Middlebury Swim Team practices will start during the last week of June and run through early August.
Hunt said he and other town officials had to make tough choices about the pool with the state COVID-19 mandates in place.
“We realize this will be disappointing news to many that typically visit the pool on a regular basis,” he wrote. “But with the new regulations in place we needed to figure out who we could serve best, and the consensus was that camp kids will certainly need a place to cool off this summer after seeing most of their camp routines upended.”