By Odalis A. SUAREZ

Cost: 0-4 years old – Free
5-11 years old – $0.50
12-17 years old – $1
18-49 years old – $2
50 + years old – $1
Family Swim Pass (6 people) – $50
Contact: (818) 548-3375
www.glendaleaquatics.com

With summer starting to heat up this year, families without pools are looking for ways to cool off, whether it be using the garden hose or finding a lake nearby. However, for a convenient and inexpensive way to have fun in the sun this summer, Crescenta Valley High School has the solution.
CVHS opened its doors in June for this summer season as part of the City of Glendale’s aquatics program. This gives families accessibility to the pool area, which is usually used for the water sports teams at the high school.
It’s like a built in play date. When [my children] came [to the pool] they knew most of the kids that were here,” said mom Heather Cuneo. This is her family’s second year of coming to the pool.
For fewer than $3 per person, families enter the pool area that is also equipped with bleachers, showers and even lifeguards. The lifeguards are welcoming when greeting guests to the pool area, understanding that their main goal is to assure the safety of the swimmers.
“Every kid that comes in here goes through a swim test at least once. They have to swim at one end of the shallow end to the other, head down,” explained lifeguard Vartan Shahnazarian, who is going to be a junior at CVHS.
A rope has already been placed in the pool in order to divide the shallow end from the deep end. If kids pass the swimming test they will have access to the other side of the rope. For parents who do not plan to swim, the bleachers are a shady place to indulge in a book or enjoy the sun.
In addition to providing a public pool for residents, the facility is also providing swim lessons with its next session beginning on Aug. 9. The cost for the upcoming session is $35 for youth and $50 for adults.
“We love the pool,” said mother Robin Lamoreaux. “My daughter last year started swim lessons. The lifeguards here are great. She just took off as a swimmer.”
Kids were using noodles and donuts to float themselves from one side to the other. There were underwater flips and turns as friends enjoyed the cool water on the hot day.
“I like this one better,” said Christian Cruz, who has visited other recreational pool facilities with his mother Marta Quintanilla. “It’s outside and its sun and fun. I like that combo better.”

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