A group of children rush to the slides at the Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center Tuesday, Jun 22. The temps were cooler Tuesday but that didn’t stop several from enjoying the local pool. The Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center is open daily Monday-Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m Sundays. Allison Graham/News Chronicle

With school out for summer children and adults are looking for a fun place to stay cool in the Iowa heat. That place is the Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center.

The Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center is back and better than ever after a year hiatus due to COVID-19.

Morgan McFate is working as the Pool Manager and Marlys Upah is the Assistant Manager. Together the two take care of all of the needs of the pool including chemicals, scheduling, the concession stand and also manage a staff of 25 lifeguards.

McFate said she usually likes to be around 30 guards but they are doing what they can to cover for one another.

“This year has been super busy considering the weather we have had. The last couple of days have been kind of slow and cold and not so weather friendly but this year we have been pretty busy every day. I think most days we are over 200 people throughout the day,” McFate said.

Both slides at the Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center were resealed last summer and kids are enjoying them this season.

Next year will be the year McFate will be looking for more guards. She has a bunch who will be moving on to college and they typically don’t come back to work at the pool once in college. Those interested must be 15 years old in order to guard.

“It’s a pretty good gig for two years at least as long as you have a certification,” McFate said.

All in all the season has been going well. McFate said they have had a couple of hiccups but that is to be expected.

“These kids are all learning. For some of them this is their first job. It’s a good skill set to learn because you learn a lot about lifesaving and safety. They also have learned about how to clean,” McFate said.

While being closed last season was not ideal, it did allow some pool repairs to be accomplished including repainting the pool floor and sealing the slides.

A group of children enjoyed playing on the smaller kids slide near the shallow end of the Tama-Toledo Aquatic Center Tuesday, June 22. The pool is open for business daily.Allison Graham/News Chronicle

“We always get told it’s a really nice pool,” McFate said.

She has seen people come from Marshalltown and even out of state to enjoy the pool.

The pool is open daily until August 22. Monday through Saturday hours are 1-8 p.m. and Sunday hours are 1-6 p.m.