If you are looking for a career that keeps you on your toes, you may want to follow in the footsteps of Jill Schladweiler, Aquatic Director of the Estes Valley Parks and Recreation Aquatic Center.
I meet Jill at the Estes Valley Aquatic Center on a sunny Tuesday morning. Even in the middle of the week in a Colorado mountain town, the pool is a busy place. Parents sit on benches at the edge of the pool while a member of Jill’s staff teaches the children to swim. We’re here to learn more about Jill’s pool and how she, her staff and her patrons are liking the Clear Comfort system.
Jill greets us wearing her signature bow tie and a smile. From the onset, it’s evident she loves her job, but also takes it seriously. After all, the safety and enjoyment of everyone in the center is her responsibility.
“Not two days are ever the same,” says Jill. “At any point, anything can break. Water can shoot out of any pipe, hose or fitting, the boiler could shut down, the staff could sleep in … anything can happen.”
While the indoor pool area has the normal humid feel of an aquatics facility, I immediately notice the lack of heavy pool smell. Estes, thanks to Jill’s willingness to adopt new technology to improve her pool, was the first commercial pool to install a Clear Comfort system nearly two years ago.
“Any chance to have less chlorine in your pool was appealing to me,” she says.
The Estes pool worked with Clear Comfort on a study that required the system to be turned on for two weeks and then turned off for two weeks. Jill says her patrons definitely noticed when the system was off because they “could feel the chlorine and smell more of the chloramines in the air.”
Everyone was happy when the system was turned on for good, says Jill. “We’ve also seen an increase in folks coming to use the facility.”
Today, the pool is clear, the air is fresh and the patrons are happy.
“I need my pool to be safe and I need it to be clean,” says Jill. “That part of the Clear Comfort system has always impressed me a lot and I love it.”
Lauren McNitt
Lauren loves swimming during the summer and relaxing in a hot tub after skiing, but the harsh chemicals limit the time she can spend in a pool. She's excited to bring Clear Comfort to others who share her enjoyment of swimming. Lauren is the Director of Marketing for Clear Comfort.
