With the school year winding down and summer break just around the corner, the city is turning its attention toward the Mattocks Park swimming pool.
The city’s only public swimming pool traditionally opens during Memorial Day weekend and has been a summer staple in El Dorado for several decades.
Members of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission said they would like to hear a report about how the facility performed last summer.
Commissioner Alexis Alexander said she had heard that the pool closed early last summer because due to low usage.
Ray Johnson, city sanitation supervisor who oversees pool operations each year, said that while average daily use was down in 2017, the pool closed early because El Dorado students returned to school earlier than usual.
Classes began on Aug. 14 for the 2017 - 2018 school year in the El Dorado School District.
The pool usually closes about two weeks prior to the start of the school year.
Johnson said an average of 75 swimmers were clocked each day during the 2017 season.
“But sometimes, it went over 100 in a day. It was still pretty good participation,” he said.
The 2017 daily average was down from 127 in 2016 and just over 100 in 2015.
The capacity of the pool is 55.
Johnson and parks and playgrounds commissioners said Lanxess (Great Lakes Chemical Corporation) is expected to once again partner with the city to provide the chemicals that are needed to operate the pool each year.
Admission is free for the Mattocks Park pool.
Mattocks is also the only city park with a fishing pond.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].