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City Pool now Open for Summer

Information reprinted with permission of the Courier Times, local newspaper New Castle, Indiana www.thecouriertimes.com

City pool now open for the summer

Posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2017 6:00 am

The Aquatic Center at Baker Park, 2001 S. Main St., New Castle, is now open for business.

Pool hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. The cost for admission is $2 per person with children 2 and under admitted free of charge. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

A 10-punch pass is available for $20, which allows for 10 visits to the pool at the regular price of $2 per visit. New Castle Clerk-Treasurer Christy York said a season pass or discounted rate for the 10-punch pass doesn’t make sense from a financial perspective.

“We do not have the season passes anymore,” she said. “With such a short season, the price isn’t cost effective so we eliminated those. With the pool only being open for two months, it’s kind of hard to charge $125 for a season pass.”

A “scholarship” to the pool is still available for families who qualify.

“If someone is under 135 percent of the poverty level, we offer up to four punch passes at half price. That’s one per family member up to four,” York said.

The 10-punch pool pass is available at the pool office. Those persons with an interest in obtaining a pass at a reduced price need to contact the clerk-treasurer’s office at 765-521-6803. 

Pass-outs are not being offered this year. If someone leaves the facility for some reason and then returns, the return visit will be considered a new visit.

The pool concession stand is again offering a daily $3 lunch special. It consists of a hotdog, soda and a bag of chips.

“For $5, someone can swim and get lunch, which we think is a pretty good deal,” York said. 

Opening the pool was delayed by a few days. New Castle Mayor Greg York said the problem was with a flow meter that is supposed to flow 200 gallons of water per minute. The device was only flowing around eight gallons per minute, which resulted in the chemicals added to the pool not mixing properly.

“We had to spend two or three days back-flowing the system because that flow meter was basically clogged up,” the mayor said. “We didn’t have to replace it, we got it worked out and it’s working consistently now.”

The mayor also said there is a surface crack in the bottom of the pool, but it does not appear to be losing water. He added that pool personnel will be keeping an eye on the crack to make sure the problem is not more severe than it is currently believed to be.

The splash pad immediately adjacent to the pool opened last Thursday, York noted.

Private pool parties are available again this year from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The cost depends on how many people are attending, which dictates how many lifeguards are required. Questions about reserving the facility for a private party should be directed to the pool office at 765-521-6840.