BUHL, Idaho — The Buhl city pool will remain closed this summer due to a shortage of qualified lifeguards, leaving local families without a popular cooling option during the hot months.
On what would typically be a busy summer day at the Buhl pool, children are instead playing on playground equipment as the facility sits empty.
"We would be cooling off in the kiddie pool right now but, that's not the case right now," Traiza Hurley told Idaho News 6. "But, we completely understand why."
Hear why the pool will stay closed this year, and how Buhl hopes to address it for next year:
The closure has disappointed many local residents, including Louie Smith, who has been working in Buhl frequently this year.
"I was looking forward to it all spring!" Smith said.
Smith said that the pool has one of the biggest wading pools in the area — a big draw for him and his family. "I have a special needs daughter, she's five, and she loves water, water therapy is one of the things she does," he said.
According to City Council President Marla Sisson, Buhl began planning for summer pool staffing last November. The city requires 10-12 certified lifeguards to operate the pool safely.
"This year we had 13 apply and only two of them could pass all of the pre-testing needed to become lifeguards," Sisson said.
After months of recruitment efforts, the city council decided in April that they wouldn't be able to safely open the pool this season.
"It's a lose-lose situation," Sisson said.
The closure announcement sparked community disappointment, but the situation escalated when City Council member Amanda Hawkins took to social media with criticism.
Hawkins posted on social media that the closure was "most definitely a administration and management issue," claiming she had fought to keep the pool open.
This public criticism led to formal consequences. On June 9, the council voted to censure Hawkins for her comments and for allegedly contributing to a hostile work environment for city staff. This marks the second time the council has voted to censure her.
"For actions and comments made in council meetings and in the community that demonstrates a lack of transparency, fairness, and leadership," Sisson said during the censure.
At the meeting, Hawkins defended her position.
"I do stand behind what I said," Hawkins said. "I've been on here for 3 and a half years, and the pool has always been a topic of conversation."
Hawkins argued her comments were protected by her First Amendment rights, but council member Michael Higbee disagreed.
"Being dishonest and stuff has nothing to do with first amendments rights, slandering employees that work for you is against the law as well," Higbee said.
Despite the controversy, Buhl has formed a new pool committee to identify lifeguard candidates for next season. Sisson said the council is united in ensuring the pool will reopen next year.
"We're gonna keep working towards it," Sisson said.
I reached out to Councilor Amanda Hawkins for this story but did not receive a response before publication.
- This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
