Although the park district had intended to offer an extended swimming season this summer, district officials now plan to close the community pool after Labor Day, as in years past.

The closing date for the pool had been set for Sept. 27, but the park district has not been able to find staff to work beyond the holiday, according to Scott Bonney, the pool manager. Additionally, he said,  there are not groups willing to pay to use the pool after school starts, a situation that would mean very little revenue during the final three weeks.

Even if the commissioners would vote to support the pool financially in that stretch, Bonney said he believes the pool must shut down at its traditional closing date.

“It is not possible to remain open,” he said. “There is no staff.”

Park Disrtict Executive Director Elaine Ott said she and Bonney began discussing the issue earlier this month and arrived at the decision after making repeated efforts to hire pool personnel, including running ads for three weeks in The Beachcomber. No one responded.

“You cannot run a pool without lifeguards,” she added.

Bonney explained that unlike private pools, which do not require guards for adult lap swims, public pools need at least two guards on duty at all times,.

Additionally, even if the district had been able to find the staff just for the weekends, operating it part time would not have been feasible, he added.

“You just cannot turn pool off for five days and turn it on for two,” he said.

All parties involved have voiced their disappointment with the news, including Bob McMahon, who is a member of the Friends of the Vashon Pool.

The group formed last year with the intent of increasing access to the pool, and members set a long-term goal of covering it with a retractable cover so that it could be used all year. Extending this season was part of that effort.

When park commissioners set the district’s budget last winter, they designated an extra $20,000 to support the longer season, in large part because of the group’s requests for additional funds.

On Monday, McMahon said he was surprised to learn the news after hearing repeated positive reports about how well the pool was doing this summer.

“It was a bit of a shock,” he said. “It seemed funny that a group like ours was not brought into the discussion. We were just told it was going to close.”

McMahon, who is running for a seat on the park board, said his group, with just five active members, will now regroup.

“The island deserves to have a better pool facility than it has now, and the season should be extended so it is useful to the schools and swim teams,” he said.

“We are going to have to think about other ways of making that happen.”

Ott said she planned to discuss the decision with park commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday, after press time.