Derr’s new pool manager tenure going swimmingly

Red Oak’s Georgana Derr has dived into her new role as the Red Oak Municipal Pool’s manager.
Derr, who is originally from Colorado, has lived in Red Oak for the past four years after moving to the area for her husband’s job as an electrician.
“We wanted to be next to Omaha, but we didn’t want to live in the city. I was looking around on the map and found out that Red Oak has a YMCA. I thought to myself that the city must really care about their kids, so we moved here, sight-unseen, and that worked out really well,” Derr stated.
Derr works as a substitute teacher for the Red Oak District, but says she grew up at the swimming pool.
“I am a lifelong pool rat. When I was in high school and college, I was a lifeguard and swim instructor, but then I went off to do other things. We were waiting for the pool to reopen, but it got delayed due to COVID-19. When the pool finally opened, my kids and I were here almost every single day. I think we only missed a couple of days,” commented Derr.
Over those two years, Derr noted that the pool had assistant pool managers, but didn’t have an adult pool manager position.
“I kept saying to myself, if that position was available, I’d want to do it. Then this year, the position came open, and I applied immediately and got it. I had so many ideas, like a toddler time, and since I sub in the school system I knew a lot of kids. I thought maybe that was the connection we needed to bring more staff on,” Derr said. “I just wanted our pool to be a place where kids can come in the summer and have fun, and I wanted the pool to be open every day. Being closed on weekends last year was a big complaint from people.”
Once she knew she’d been hired, Derr said she was quick to bring herself up to speed on training.
“I decided as a pool manager I should also have my lifeguard certification. It was a little different than it was 25 years ago, but I went to the YMCA and completed the class as well as trained with parks superintendent Adam Van Der Vleit. The City of Red Oak has been great in letting me staff and run the pool to be open as much as we can and do exciting things like the toddler time. I also would like to start up a sunset swim on Fridays.”
After being a swim instructor and lifeguard in high school and college, Derr said she was very excited walking through the door on her first day as pool manager.
“While I was nervous, my excitement level was 100 out of 10. I’m here a lot, and I love being here. I’m happy to have a safe place where kids can come hang out with their friends. There’s a lot of latchkey kids in this town. I want this to be the place where all those kids come to have a good time and enjoy their summer,” stated Derr. 
The pool officially opened for the season June 3. Derr said attendance since then has been strong.
“Even on our colder days we’ve been busy, which made me really surprised. We’ve only been open a bit more than a week, but we’ve been open every day, and simply adjusted features based on the number of guards we have. There’s a lifeguard class in July, and I’ve been working to get people to take that class so we can be open more hours. I ask all the kids here how old they are, because I would love to start giving them the idea that they can be a lifeguard and get them in some of the classes the YMCA has all year long. I see them swimming and I know their abilities. I want them to come work for me,” Derr said.
In addition to her toddler time, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, the pool has also implemented “Friday Fun Day.”
“Every Friday we do contests and games. Fridays we’re always giving out something, big gifts, or squirt guns, or candy depending on what the activity is. Friday is our big event day. We’ll probably do something for the Fourth of July as well,” Derr said. “We also have a small “library.” I went to the library this year and asked if they had a rolling cart we could borrow. They were happy to give us a book cart so patrons can borrow a book and read it while they’re here.”
Now that she’s the pool manager, Derr said it’s a position she’s planning on staying in for a long time.
“I hope to remain the pool manager for a while. I want to keep our momentum going and funneling kids into our lifeguard program year-round, so that when summer comes we’re ready to go. We have younger guards this year, so we’ll hopefully have them again next year, and I plan on getting more kids into the lifeguard class throughout the year.”
The pool is open Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Cost to use the pool for a single day is $5. Punch cards are also available. For $20, a person can get five entries. Family passes are $200 for up to five people in the same household, and individual passes for $125. Passes are available at the pool and Red Oak City Hall, but only cash and checks are accepted if purchasing at the pool.
In the event of an early closure, patrons are urged to listen to the radio or contact city hall. Derr is hopeful the pool can soon have a social media presence.
“We don’t have a Facebook page yet. That’s my next goal as soon as we can get it approved. I would love for the pool to have a dedicated Facebook page so we can issue messages ourselves,” said Derr.
Derr said she’s excited to be open, and is grateful for all of her hard working staff.
“I’m excited to be here. I want people to come back and visit. Our concession stand is open every day, and we have a lot of concessions at different price points. Our guards and staff are also doing a wonderful job. I’m so grateful to them, and I’m so glad to have them. They’re killing it this year.”