The Waldoboro Recreation Department’s summer swimming lessons will be canceled after the pool at Waldoboro Fitness closes June 15, said Waldoboro Recreation Director Kyle Santheson.
The program has been attended by almost 100 kids each summer, and at this point, only the first two sessions will still be held, from March 15 through April 7, and from April 26 through June 14. All future classes are canceled, Santheson said.
Waldoboro Fitness currently has the only publicly open pool in Waldoboro. The owners of Waldoboro Fitness could not be reached for comment for this article, but Santheson said they recently told him the pool was closing due to the high cost of maintenance.
The pool at Damariscotta Lake Farms in Jefferson closed a few weeks ago, also because of costs. Damariscotta Lake Farms plans to turn the pool area into an event room.
“Pools are darn expensive to operate,” Santheson said. “It’s unfortunate, but I guess it’s just catching up with everyone.”
Without a feasible venue for swimming lessons, Waldoboro Recreation’s classes will remain canceled. Santheson said he’s exploring outdoor options at local lakes and ponds, but with the variety of logistical problems involved, “at this point it doesn’t seem realistic.”
