PIQUA — In an effort to keep up with the wear and tear on their aquatic facilities, the Miami County YMCAs are in the process of making final preparations to shut down their pools in August.

“August is a great time for us to make any repairs, replacements or cleaning,” said Leia Lander, aquatic director for the Robinson branch. “We also hire new staff around this time as well, so it’s as if we are starting the year new after we reopen.”

The Robinson branch will be the first to close on Aug. 7 at noon. It is set to reopen on Aug. 23. The Piqua branch is set to close Aug. 23 and reopen on Aug. 30.

“Ideally, we try to limit the amount of overlap in our pool shut downs as much as possible between branches,” said Donn Shade, aquatic director at the Piqua branch. “However, with the Y’s reciprocity program in Ohio our members can visit neighboring YMCAs during the days we are closed as well if they want.”

What members can expect to happen at both facilities during the shut down periods are deep cleaning of the pools and aquatic facilities, painting and fixing/replacement of components in pump rooms.

“A lot of what happens during those few weeks of shut down may not be visible to members, but are very important in allowing our pools to be operating on a 24/7 basis, “ said Lander. “It’s why we start preparing months in advance for the process.”

The whirlpool at the Robinson Branch will also close for a short period of time in August for maintenance. The whirlpools at the Piqua branch will remain open.