TOPEKA (KSNT) – Shawnee County and Topeka pools will be opening to the public in the near future as the 2025-2026 school year comes to a close.
Shawnee County Parks and Recreation (SCP+R) is busy getting its pools and aquatic centers ready for the 2026 summer season. These facilities are set to open on May 23 and remain available until Aug. 9.
SCP+R staff report they have already hired around 80% of the workers they need to fill in lifeguard roles at the pools. The department said this is one of the most important times of the year.
“It is really a lot of prep this time of year, making sure everything is in play for when we hit the big months of May, June and July and August, which are kind of our busiest months of the year,” said Ashley Gilfillan with SCP+R.
100,000 flowers planted for Tulip Time in Topeka
People can find eight different pools and aquatic centers around the Topeka and Shawnee County area, that are managed by the SCP+R. These include the following:
- Blaisdell Family Aquatic Center – 4201 SW Reinisch Pkwy.
- Dornwood Spray Park – 2645 SE 25th St.
- Jackson Spray Park – 1110 SE 10th Ave.
- Garfield Pool – 1600 NE Quincy St.
- Hillcrest Pool – 1800 SE 21st St.
- Lake Shawnee Adventure Cove – 3110 SE Croco Rd.
- Midwest Health Aquatic Center – 2201 SW Urish Rd.
- Oakland Pool – 801 NE Poplar St.
- Rossville Pool – 714 Main St.
- Shawnee North Family Aquatic Center – 300 NE 43rd St.
SCP+R staff jumps from around 110 employees during the winter months to nearly 600 during the summertime. You can check out the list of jobs offered by SCP+R by clicking here.
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