By By Adrienne McKenzie
The dedicated lifeguards of Houston Avery Park's Pool are responsible for the many individuals who take the time for swimming lessons or recreational swimming at the pool during the hot summer days.
Pool director Vangela Franklin said the lifeguards at Houston Avery Park Pool take classes in both lifeguard training and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"They are highly qualified lifeguards," Franklin said. "They have to take lifeguard classes and CPR. Most of them take CPR classes in school but the fire department has come over here and done training before."
The lifeguards at the pool include Escambia County High School students Tamekia Boggan, 16, Kiara Henry, 17, and Bryan Chambers, 15, and Troy University student James Wilson, 23.
Each of the lifeguards participate in teaching children, and adults if necessary, how to swim with the pool's swimming lessons.
Franklin said it is important for everyone to learn how to swim.
"I feel like all parents need to make their children learn how to swim," she said. "If they come here, we can teach them. I even found that there are so many adults that don't even know how to swim."
The pool offers swimming lessons Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. until noon and Friday from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Adult swimming lessons are Monday – Friday 6:30 a.m. until 8 a.m.
Public swimming is Sunday – Thursday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. and Friday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
The cost for swimming lessons is $0.75 and for public swimming, $1.
For more information, call 368-8311.