BILLINGS — Billings Parks and Rec are getting ready to shut the pools down for the season.
Recreation Superintendent Kory Thompson said that most lifeguards at Billings pools are high school and college students.
“A lot of those kids are busy and active in other extracurricular activities, or again, back to school and college,” Thompson said Monday.
Watch why Billings Parks and Rec are shutting the pool season down early:
But even on a mostly cloudy days, the pool is still filled with kids enjoying the warm weather.
Angela Bastoni often brings her son Oakley to Rose Park Pool.
“That's where we spend our summers, is the pools,” Bastoni said.
That will soon come to an end.
“It's sad that the pools are closing early because that's what kids look forward to,” Bastoni said.
High above the pools, lifeguards such as Claire Foote, who has been on duty for three summers, are preparing for new adventures.
“I'm a college student and I have to leave earlier than most schools start here,” Foote said.
Foote shared her experience as a lifeguard this summer.
“It's always kind of sad because you make friends and it's fun, and then you have to go back to school, which is kind of sad,” Foote said.
This summer, around 60 lifeguards worked diligently to keep everyone safe at pools across the city.
“We need 20 lifeguards every day to keep our pools safe,” Thompson said.
The busy schedule of the lifeguards plays a role in the reason why some pools are winding down early.
“We'll start to shift them to other locations,” Thompson said.
Rose Park Pool will remain open until Aug. 30 but will operate at reduced hours from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 25-30.
The last day for wading pools in Billings is Aug. 15, and the last day for South Park Pool is Aug. 24.
