CHANUTE — Chanute’s municipal swimming pool will remain closed in 2020.
City commissioners voted unanimously this week to keep the Maring Aquatic Center closed through the summer.
Commissioners cited staffing shortages, the Chanute Tribune reported. The city had hired seven, with six more applicants awaiting certification, numbers insufficient for the water park, which includes a pool and lazy river.
“This is not a typical season,” Colborn told the Tribune. “We struggle in a good year to get lifeguards.”
The news comes as Iola officials said this week they planned to open the Iola Municipal Pool by late June.
Recreation Director Jason Bauer said the Chanute closure is not dissuading Iola from opening its pool, although crowding from out-of-towners has become a noted concern amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bauer noted other neighboring communities, such as Fort Scott, still are planning to reopen later this summer.
