Pocatello staff preview summer programs, free services at town hall

Pocatello Parks & Recreation and Marshall Public Library staff used a city town hall to summarize this summer’s recreation, aquatics and library programs and to highlight free services for families and young people.

Anne Butler, parks and recreation director, described pool and recreation-center schedules, new facilities and special events and encouraged residents to visit the sites. “We have a new 3,200 square foot weight room that is absolutely beautiful,” Butler said. Eric Seese, library director, outlined the library’s summer reading and events schedule and noted multiple locations where free youth transit passes are distributed.

Butler said the Community Recreation Center will offer public swim hours May 30 through Aug. 30 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and that swimming lessons (two-day sessions) run in June and July with registration already open. Ross Park Aquatics Complex is planned to open for the season May 24 through Aug. 17; Butler described repairs and upgrades there including repaired deck drains, replastered play features and new lockers arriving this season.

Butler also detailed evening and special programs at Ross Park: family-night admission (Monday–Thursday, 5–7 p.m., half price), teen splash dances in July for 13–18 year olds, sensory-friendly swims on July 19 and July 21 at 10 a.m., and lazy-river resistance walking starting June 2 through Aug. 15. She listed youth camps, rock-climbing classes, adult and beginner women’s mountain-biking sessions, guided hikes and a seniors’ hiking series in August.

Zoo Idaho staff opened May 1 (daily, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.), Butler said, and the zoo will run youth programs and summer camps; Zoo free day is scheduled for May 31, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., sponsored by Connections Credit Union. Butler also noted free community amenities including multiple disc-golf courses, two dog parks (Bannock Park in downtown Pocatello and Katie’s Dog Park at the animal shelter), Portniff Greenway trails and an expanding schedule of park signage tied to new city branding.

Seese said Marshall Public Library’s 2025 summer reading theme is “Color Our World” and that the program kicks off June 7 with a registration party at the library from 2 to 4 p.m. The library will run age‑specific programs — story times for babies through preschool, elementary visiting-guest programs (Natural History Museum, ISU Physics Department and others), teen maker and workshop sessions, and adult events including a book “tasting” on June 12 and a visible-mending workshop on Aug. 5.

Seese described recurring services: monthly STEAM nights, three book groups, weekly “take it and make it” craft kits, Libby (e-book/eaudiobook) drop-in help sessions and 3-D printing services (minimum $1 fee). He also described a sister-library program with a partner in Zambia, a summer book-wagon that visits parks and hands out books to children, and partnerships with nearby Lookout Park events (food trucks on Mondays, Revive at 5 on Wednesdays, farmers market Saturdays).

Both presenters noted operational details residents may need: Butler promoted seasonal hiring (positions start at age 16; a few 15-year-old roles exist) and distributed QR-coded chips linking to job postings and the city activity guide. Seese said summer youth transit passes can be picked up at Marshall Library, the Center for Adult Living, Ross Park Aquatic Center, the Community Recreation Center and the Portniff District Library.

Council members and the mayor asked questions about program ages and meeting logistics; staff frequently directed residents to the city and department websites for full schedules and registration details. No council action was taken during the presentations.

For more information, Butler and Seese said event calendars and registration links are posted on the Parks & Recreation and Marshall Public Library websites.