FORKS — The Quillayute Valley Aquatics Center reopened Monday as the pool’s staff undergoes Red Cross recertification and a temporary director takes charge.
The former director of the pool, Jim Baird, was fired by the Quillayute Valley Parks and Recreation District board.
About 15 lifeguards who were certified by Baird are being recertified because of a Red Cross requirement that trainees have deepwater experience.
Baird was qualified to certify lifeguards, according to Deborah Orlander, health and safety services director of the Olympic Peninsula chapter of the American Red Cross.
Orlander’s department oversees the certification for lifeguards on the Peninsula.
“We discovered the pool did not have deep water,” Orlander said, and in order to receive American Red Cross certification, lifeguards must have that experience.
“We do take very seriously the standards that we have for our classes,” Orlander said.
Personnel issues
Barb Gronseth, chairwoman of the Quillayute Valley Parks and Recreation District board, said Baird was fired over personnel issues that she refused to detail.
“Things just didn’t seem to work out, and we just had to move forward on this,” she said.
Members of the community had voiced their concerns about Baird’s qualifications around October, Gronseth said, and the board acted on them.
“As soon as the issues were brought to the board, we dealt with them,” she said.
“Any place that is a start up operation is going to have not only labor pains but growing pains.”
The “Wet End” aquatics center opened in July between Division and Maple streets near Forks City Hall and Community Center.
