News File Photo Patrons are seen swimming in the Plaza Pool on March 19. The pool saw a busy summer, with numbers higher than usual.

ALPENA — The Plaza Pool, located at Alpena High School but owned by Alpena County, saw an increase in swimmers this summer and is on track to have higher overall numbers for the year, an official said.

Pool Director Kim Bolanowski said that, from June 1 through Monday, the pool has seen around 6,000 visitors, up from the facility’s usual 4,000. For the year, she said, the pool is on track to record 40,000 visitors.

“The numbers are really good for us, especially since we were shut down for two weeks for cleaning in July,” Bolanowski said. “But business is expected to pick up with the high school teams getting in there and new swim lessons starting soon.”

Swim lessons with Starfish Aquatic Institute start Sept. 16 and 18 and continue for six weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays. The new program introduces personal benchmarks for swimmers to meet, rather than passing swim levels.

“We’re hoping that this helps kids go their own pace,” Bolanowski said. “We expect them to progress faster by hitting certain personal benchmarks, like floating on their back, blowing bubbles, or performing different strokes, instead of progressing from one level to another.”

Lessons for Star-babies — ages 5 months to 36 months — happen from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Ages 3 to 6 years old follow from 6 to 7 p.m. Ages 7 to 13 swim from 7 to 8 p.m.

Ages 3 and older will be placed in beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes.

With the new system and specific classes, pool officials hope kids meet benchmarks sooner and without having to move to different sessions, keeping swimmers in their age group without concern about their distinctive swim level.

Bolanowski said parents have been very receptive to the pool’s new process and she is optimistic about the turnout, which will help keep the facility’s finances on track, she said.

“We’re holding our own,” Bolanowski said about the pool’s finances. “It’s helped that we’ve had a lot of visitors this summer. The high school renting out the space for their swim teams’ seasons and other upcoming events will also help.”

The Alpena High girls swim team has already started using the pool for the season. The boys team will restart in the winter.

Schooners Swim Team will also rent the space, with a planned swim assessment from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 and that team’s season starting Oct. 2. The team’s practice is scheduled Mondays through Thursdays, with the first session at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and the second session at 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

In October, the Fitter and Faster Swim Camp will feature an Olympic swimmer on Oct. 19 and 20. Officials still are unsure which retired or active athlete will visit.

Bolanowski said discussions about relocating the pool to the APlex are at a standstill and there is no new information to be shared.

The Alpena Plaza Pool is owned by Alpena County but is not funded with general fund dollars.

Instead, the pool is operated with funds from the county’s Youth and Recreation property tax, as well as rentals, memberships, fees of pool users (individuals, teams, outside organizations), fundraising dollars from Friends of Plaza Pool, and private donations and sponsorships.

It is managed for the county by Synchronizations, a private company.

“We’re looking pretty good for a 50-year-old pool,” Bolanowski said.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@thealpenanews.com.