Lackawanna County’s Parks and Recreation Department will offer a series of “Water Fun and Safety” events at county parks on Tuesdays in July, with each of the events running from noon to 2 p.m.
The sessions will give children and other participants an opportunity to learn swimming techniques and basic kayak and paddleboard safety, and meet the lifeguards who work at the county’s swimming lakes. They’ll take place after the county Arts and Culture Department’s weekly “Art in the Park” events, which begin at 10 a.m.
Both events will take place July 8 at Merli-Sarnoski Park, July 15 at Covington Park, July 22 at McDade Park and July 29 at Aylesworth Park, per a schedule provided by the county. Aylesworth, Covington and Merli-Sarnoski parks all have lakes where swimming is permitted; McDade has a smaller children’s fishing pond that instructors would use to teach about boat safety, county Parks and Recreation Director Paul Bechtel said.
Friday’s announcement of next month’s water fun and safety events follows news earlier this month that leaks and pending repairs will delay the opening of the swimming pool at McDade Park, making the 2025 swim season there uncertain. The renovated pool opened in August 2023, part of a $3.1 million project that also included a new bathhouse, restrooms, splash pad equipment and other elements.
Workers discovered the leaks when they removed the cover to fill the pool, which officials said leaked at a rate of several inches per hour. Engineering consultant EDP ultimately recommended that all of the tile joints on the pool’s floor be repaired, officials said in a recent press release.
That release notes that the cost of the pending repair project won’t be known until the county receives competitive bids for the project, and that the bid process and construction itself will be “time-consuming.”
McDade’s splash pad is open despite the pool problems.
During the July events, tents will be set up near the water to provide participants shade, and cold water and beverages will be available to keep them hydrated, the county said. The nonprofit Wild Wellness NEPA and Brewster’s Safety Training, which offers swimming lessons, lifeguard training and other services, will assist with the events as local partners.
More information on county parks and programs is available online at lackawannacounty.org.