MEL TOADVINE Entrance to the Lehigh Community Pool.

Take a plunge in the Lehigh Community Pool on June 14 and make history.

It’s an opportunity that you can become a part of a record for the Guinness Book of Records for the “largest swimming lesson ever.” All you have to do is sign up to take a swimming lesson at the Lehigh Community Pool on June 14 and join thousands around the globe doing the same thing.

Rebecca Horne, the pool’s aquatic facility supervisor at the Lehigh Community Pool at 1400 West 5th St., said all of the pools in Lee County are in the world-wide competition. So are thousands of pools around the world.

Hopefully, the high number of new swimmers will create a new record, she said.

“It’s a great effort to get people out to learn to swim,” Horne said. “We have expert lifeguard/ teachers and we can teach anyone to swim, from the youngest child to the oldest senior citizen,” she said.

MEL TOADVINE A lifeguard checks swimmers as she walks around the pool.

It is being called a “life-saving, Guinness World Record setting event. Last year, more than 20,000 children and adults on five different continents helped to spread the message that swimming lessons save lives.

News coverage about the program generated more than 20 million photos in the U.S. alone.

Tragically, drowning remains the second leading cause of injury-related death of children ages 1 to 14.

Horne said she urges everyone in Lehigh to contact her at the pool or call 369-8277 to sign up.

During both the summer and winter tourist seasons, the Lehigh Community Pool is a favorite place to be. But Horne said that now with the weather really getting warmer with temps in the 90s and with the kids out of school, it has become probably the most favorite place to be in Lehigh.

MEL TOADVINE A boy enjoys the Lehigh Community Pool.

The pool is heated and open to the public year-round. There are summer swimming lessons offered throughout June and July with a wide range of skill levels taught by American Red Cross certified instructors.

“The best part is that classes are affordable. You can get eight classes for only $40. That is a great deal,” Horne said.

The pool staff also offers programs such as aqua aerobics.

“You can choose from an invigorating fast paced workout offered at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday or the ultra-low impact National Arthritis Foundation sponsored classes at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Horne said classes are in chest deep water, 45 minutes in length and a great way to keep fit while not impacting heavily on your joints,” Horne said.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN An aerial view of the Lehigh Community Pool.

She said the Lehigh Community Pool continues to grow in popularity and said this past winter season with snowbirds in Lehigh, it was the highest attended season ever.

There are a total of six lifeguards and Horne said there is always at least one lifeguard on duty all the time. As more people enter the pool, another lifeguard is added, and whenever more go into the pool, another lifeguard is added.

“They don’t take their eyes off the kids and other swimmers in their sections of the pool,” Horne said.

“We have been very lucky inasmuch as we have never had any critical incidents here and that is due a lot to the attention of our lifeguards.

Each lifeguard takes his or her job seriously and spends about 30 to 45-minute sessions sitting atop the tall stands all around the giant-sized pool.

MEL TOADVINE Lifeguards at the Lehigh Community Pool include Rebecca Horne, the supervisor; Megan Palmer, Rachel Davalos, Jessica Davis and Glenn Pollack. Standing in the stand is Tamara Sanders, who was on duty.

On June 2, the Lehigh Community Pool became open seven days a week. Hours differ on each day but generally the pool is open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., like on Monday, then on Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. This week, the pool is open on Saturdays and Sundays. To 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Sundays

Admission to the pool is $2.50 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1.50 for children. For members of the Lehigh Senior Citizen Center on Plaza Drive there is a discount if you are a member of the center. The pool is owned and operated by Lee County Parks & Recreation with a website at www.leeparks.org.

Horne said that children below 9 must have an adult present at all times. Between 9 and 11 a.m., there is a swim test for kids 12 and up, just so the staff knows the kids can handle themselves in the pool.

“One of the things we would like to stress is that parents that come to use the pool and/or to tan themselves, must be alert enough to watch their children. We don’t want parents falling off to sleep with their small children running around without their supervision,” she said.

“So many parents of very small children rely on us,” she said. “But we insist that the parents look out for their little ones.”

There is a headcount at the pool with close to a 100-capacity of swimmers. When the number of people in the pool exceeds the capacity, swimmers have to get out for a while.

“That is all for safety reasons. Even though we have several lifeguards on duty, when we reach capacity, it is safer for some of the swimmers to leave the pool for a while,” she said.

The pool holds 169,000 gallons of water and is an eight-laned pool that is open year-round. Lap lanes are provided for the lap swimmer and water exercise/ Arthritis Foundation classes. The pool is open to all, including the public with ADA accommodations such as a hydro-powered lift for those unable to enter the pool using the step area.

The Lehigh pool was opened in November of 1986. A year later, a heating system was added to keep water temperatures constant. The Lehigh Acres Community Park surrounds the pool.

In 2004, a renovation project included resurfacing the interior of the pool with a new aggregate finish. The project also included a new pool deck, facility fencing and upgrading of the old filtration system with a new high rate sand filtration system.

In late 2007 and early 2008, a capital improvement project included renovation of the restrooms, the addition of indoor showers, and new non-skid flooring. And a triple flume water slide was installed in 2010 for added fun, Horn said.

“The kids really enjoy that,” Horne said.