Parks rec previews swim programs, new regional aquatic facility and shift to monthly registration

Lisa Tro Tover, recreation manager for the City of Las Vegas, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission on Oct. 7 that activity check-ins at city recreation centers were up 7% in September 2025 compared with September 2024 and that registrations for several programs are strong.

Tro Tover said popular offerings include citizenship classes, teen programs, after-school zones, table tennis and beginner taekwondo. She described an adaptive recreation team camp that took about 40–45 adults with disabilities to an annual weeklong program funded in part by Opportunity Village, which covered rental fees while the city covered supplies and staffing.

Tro Tover said communications will start a targeted marketing campaign in October with neighborhood-focused social media and that beginning Jan. 2026 most classes will shift to a monthly registration model to reduce confusion over staggered four-week sessions. She noted that swim lessons and some aquatics programs will continue to follow American Red Cross session lengths.

Savonte Manor, parks and recreation supervisor for aquatics, described the department's pool inventory and staffing: two year-round pools (Uni and Pavilion), several seasonal pools opened Memorial Day through Labor Day, and typical in-school-year staffing of about 45–50 lifeguards that grows to roughly 95–105 in summer. Manor said the city meets with the regional aquatic facility project team biweekly and that the new competition-style pool aims to open in 2026. He said staff are exploring new programs tied to the facility and recruiting strategies such as a sports-sampler class supported by a Move Your Way grant to expose children to multiple aquatic sports.

Manor listed grant partnerships that subsidize lessons and access: approximately $12,000 from the American Red Cross (covering about $5 lessons for 600 children at specified pools), a $5,000 Flow Like a Duck grant for low‑income and at‑risk youth that includes partnerships with Las Vegas Housing Authority and other local groups, and Move Your Way funding that pays for open-swim access at Baker Pool. He said adaptive equipment includes chair lifts at pools and that chair lifts are present at every pool.

Staff identified operational challenges including competition for lifeguards with private-sector employers, changing health‑district lifeguard requirements that affect staffing calculations and demand for pool space as new facilities come online. Commissioners suggested outreach to schools for recruitment and asked whether lifeguard service could qualify for honor‑society credit; staff said they would explore options.

No commission action was taken; staff will bring further updates on summer programming and the new facility as they are available.