UPDATED - Swimming fun in Altus! Published May 25, 2010 By SrA Marianne E. Lane 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Summer is right around the corner, and as the weather heats up, the base and Altus community have several options for you and your families to have fun and stay cool. Renovations to the base pool since 2009 cost $1.3 million and include new gutters, decking, filtration system, and a salt water system; the system is now more environmentally friendly. "The impact of the changes will be to draw in more people and it will be more pleasurable to visit" said Benjamin Switzer, equipment rental manager at Outdoor Recreation. Base pool hours of operation are Monday 1 p.m.- 6 p.m., Tuesday - Thursday 1 p.m.-8 p.m., Friday 1 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday-1 p.m.-8 p.m. The base pool offers swimming lessons for ages five and up. There are three sessions: 14-25 June, 5-16, and 19-30 July. Each session costs $25 and the times are 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. The pool also offers a Guard Start program in the second session, which prepares teens for lifeguarding. Those sessions are for 13-15 year olds, and the cost is $10. "The pool renovation is nearing completion and we have good confidence it will be ready in time for a Memorial Day Weekend opening. We are hoping the pool slides will be ready too. Unfortunately the old pumps that supply the water to the slides are not working. The new replacement pumps are here and a contract for installing them has been awarded so we are hopeful the slides will be available for Memorial Weekend too. We are looking forward to a great summer with lots of happy customers." said Donald Cook, deputy, 97th Force Support Squadron. Western Oklahoma State College offers a wellness center membership. The summer session, with dates to be determined, costs $123.38 and includes two workout rooms, a sauna, racquetball courts, and the swimming pool. There is an additional $15 fee for new members. The cost for senior citizens is $66.75 for the summer session. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m., also Saturday 8 a.m.-12 p.m. For more information, call 580-477-2000. Lake Altus-Luggart, in nearby Quartz Mountains, is used for fishing, boating, swimming, and water for irrigation. Lake Altus-Luggart has two swimming beaches, seasonal paddle boating, water skiing, fishing, jet-skiing and water-slides, in addition to other recreational activities. For more information, call 580- 563-2424. The Altus City Pool offers a six lane indoor pool and an unheated outdoor seasonal pool. The single-visit admission price to swim is $3 for those over 48 inches tall, and $2 for those below 48 inches. Senior citizens (55+) are free. The outdoor pool opens 22 May; the hours are Sunday-Saturday 1 p.m.-4 p.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m. For more information, call 580-481-2269. The Base Housing Community Pool opens 21 May; admission is free and is open to all housing residents. They offer free swimming lessons for residents four years and up. You can sign up for lessons at the Balfour Beatty Communities housing office. For more information, call 580-379-4002. UPDATE - Base pool passes are available at Outdoor Recreation; season passes are $35.00 for 1 person, $65.00 for 2, $70.00 for 3 people, and so on. A full list of pass prices is available at Outdoor Recreation. The daily rate is $1.50. The 2010 summer swimming season end date is still to be determined. The base pool is opening for "Teen Wave", a pool party for 13 - 18 year olds, May 28 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The base pool Grand Opening is May 29 at 11 a.m. with free admission for the celebration. For more information about the base pool, call Outdoor Recreation 481-7696.