Porterville reports busy, incident-free season at Murray Park pool

Jake Bridal, the city pool manager, told the City Council on Aug. 19 that the Murray Park pool ran a full seasonal program that drew consistent attendance and showed few safety incidents.

The pool ran from Memorial Day through Labor Day and offered rec swim, private rentals, 16 school parties and 68 private events, Bridal said. Staff logged about 205 individual swim sessions over the season with an average of roughly 160 patrons per session; the facility’s capacity is 280. Bridal told the council the pool’s lifeguard team performed roughly two “saves” per day on average and that there were no critical injuries requiring emergency services.

Bridal said the lifeguard team of 28—aged about 16 to 21—are Red Cross certified and that the season included four senior lifeguards who mentor staff and help run drills. “We practice a simple ‘no then go’,” Bridal said, describing guard training when a patron shows signs of drowning. Assistant pool manager Ainsley Mabbs added that swim lessons were structured into four two-week sessions with a maximum of 10 children per class; staff estimate they taught about 250 students this summer.

Council members praised the presentation and asked about facility maintenance after last year’s tile problems. Bridal said last summer’s rough bottom and chipped tiles were addressed during the remodel and that the diving board returned this year. Vice Mayor McCurvey asked what the council could do to help; Bridal said continued investment in facility improvements was the top priority to sustain safety and program quality.

The council did not take any formal action during the presentation. City staff said the pool’s programs—rec swim, lessons, special-needs sessions and sponsored free swims—remain a low-cost recreational resource and a frequent entry point for youth programs in Porterville.