Clark County’s water parks prepare for busy Memorial Day weekend

The deck chairs are set, the pools are clean, and Clark County’s 300 lifeguards are trained and ready for what is expected to be one of the busiest weekends for the county’s public water parks.

Officials are expecting a bustling weekend at five of the county’s seven water parks. Weekend weather is expected to be sunny, and temperatures are expected to hover around the low 90s, according to the National Weather Service.

The parks will open Saturday to Monday and close again until June 4 when all but one of the county’s 14 pools open for the summer. Logandale’s pool will open June 11. Hours will vary, so pool-goers should call ahead before hitting the water. The parks opening for Memorial Day weekend will close for the summer on Aug. 28; those opening later will close Aug. 21.

Sharon Cornell, recreation program supervisor at the Hollywood Aquatic Center in Las Vegas, said she is eager to put months of preparation to work this weekend.

“I’m just looking forward to the season starting,” she said.

Cornell said about a third of the county’s lifeguards are newcomers, and they must go through about a week of training, with an additional 10 hours of training from management. Those training sessions started in January and wrapped up last week.

Returning lifeguards must be recertified after two years and undergo another two days of training, Cornell said.

All lifeguards get tested for live rescue situations at least once a month by outside staff members — much the way a secret shopper inspects a store.

Opening with what can be one of the busiest weekends of the year gives lifeguards, on average ages 17 to 18, little time to work out the kinks in applying the training, like applying a Nevada administrative code prohibiting the use of clothing not specifically designed for bathing in pools.

“I think the biggest challenge was enforcing the rules we have,” Travis Smith, a lifeguard for Clark County, said of his first Memorial Day weekend.

Cornell said the code aims to fight the spread of bacteria to and from the pools.

“It’s pretty disappointing when you show up to the pool and your swimwear isn’t right,” Smith said.

Parents bringing children to the pool should be prepared to get wet – swimmers younger than 8 years old must have adult supervision. Only Coast Guard-approved life jackets will be allowed in the pools, so leave the floaties at home.

For those following the rules, balmy 82-degree heated pools will be waiting.

Two private parks, Wet ‘n’ Wild in Spring Valley, and Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, will also be open this weekend. Wet ‘n’ Wild will offer military members free entry to the park, with half-priced tickets for their families. Cowabunga Bay will be offering reduced admission on Friday of $25 per person, or $100 per carload.

The city of Las Vegas will open four pools this weekend, but hours and days vary.

Henderson’s six seasonal outdoor pools will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Monday.

Silver Mesa Activity Pool in North Las Vegas will open Saturday and Sunday this weekend and close until the city’s four pools officially open for the summer on June 4.