July 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 50

OPERATIONS
How Parks and Recreation Safely Brought
Back Aquatics Programming
By Jennifer Kansanback
P
ark and recreation departments across the United States were
given a tough assignment in spring 2020: encourage your community
to stay healthy by getting exercise outdoors, but also ask
them to take as many precautions as possible against spreading
coronavirus (COVID-19). The mixed message was not an easy sell amid
shifting public agency budget forecasts and public health mandates. Understandably,
some cities opted to suspend recreation activities and close
facilities indefinitely until the dust settled.
It was during this same time period
that the City of American Canyon
in California's Napa County asked
itself: If we can make it safe for our
community to still get exercise outdoors
at our facilities, do we have to
close them down? This intellectual
curiosity in the face of adversity resulted
in the city finding a way to
safely reopen its Phillip West Aquatic
Center and, eventually, gain national
recognition for its innovative efforts.
Key Operational Changes
Before reopening the center, the
department created extensive operational
guidelines with four major
changes:
1. In-depth sanitation procedures
2. Reduced maximum capacity
3. An updated physical layout, including
new signage and graphics,
to allow for physical distancing
and one-way pedestrian
traffic flow
4. A requirement
that
aquatics
instructors only work from ondeck
rather than in the water
After local officials approved the
guidelines, the aquatics management
team quickly brought back
furloughed lifeguards and trained
them on the new sanitation procedures,
such as thorough disinfection
between class sessions.
Three-Phase Reopening
To ensure compliance with the
operational changes and that the
facility would have enough fully
trained staff, the park and recreation
department opted to reopen
the center in three phases:
* Phase 1 - mid-June 2020: The
center brought back programs in
which participants could easily
practice physical distancing: lap
swimming and water aerobics.
* Phase 2 - late June 2020: The
center began allowing swim
team pool rentals and limited
open swim.
* Phase 3 - early July 2020: The
center increased capacity to the
maximum allowed (25 percent)
and reinstated programs for all
swimming levels.
Instructors and lifeguards received
child development training to teach
parents how to work with their
children in the pool. Various roleplaying
scenarios helped prepare
staff for the new way of instructing
classes. The majority of lessons
offered throughout the summer
reached capacity and were wellreceived
by community members.
Special Lifeguard Training
The
team responsible
for
the
reopening plan created one of
the first
COVID-19-compliant
lifeguard training programs in the
country, which now serves as a
nationwide model. The department
followed the American Red Cross
American Canyon residents participate
in physically distanced exercise activities
at the Phillip West Aquatic Center.
50 Parks & Recreation | JULY 2 0 2 1
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY OF AMERICAN
CANYON AQUATICS SUPERVISOR JOEDY MICHAEL
July 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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