Clarksburg Splash Zone closing for the season ahead of school starting

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — The main public pool in Clarksburg is wrapping up its season early this weekend.

The City Parks of Clarksburg announced that the Splash Zone at Veterans Memorial Park will close after Saturday, Aug. 17. The pool was originally supposed to be open until Labor Day, but because many of its staff are high school and college students and many schools start back next week , the pool is forced to close early. Harrison County Schools start back on Monday, Aug. 19.

According to a press release, Clarksburg City Parks has “exhausted all options,” but cannot safety remain open. A sign at the pool says that pool breaks are already being taken more often due to staffing shortages.

“For our park to operate safely, we need a minimum of 15 lifeguards on duty while at max capacity. Our summer help comprises of high school and college kids and with school starting so early in the year, it makes it impossible to keep enough staff in order to stay open. We looked at opening later in the day and even on the weekends up through August, but most kids attend school out of the area and others have sports commitments,” Dough Comer, director of Clarksburg City Parks, said in the release.

The pool at the Bridge Sports Complex is also scheduled to close temporarily starting on Saturday, Aug. 17 .

However, on that same day, the new pickleball courts at Veterans Park that have been under construction all summer are scheduled to open. The grand opening will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday. And also on Saturday, the mini golf course at the VA Park is hosting glow in the dark night and will be open late until 11 p.m.

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