John & Carla Edwards Aquatic Center — Local services in Geneseo

First, the positives: The facility is very clean — from the water to the deck to the showers. Lifeguards are plentiful & overall excellent. They’re attentive, rotate frequently & are typically firm but kind with the kids.

The park district offers a financial assistance program, making the pool affordable for lower-income Geneseo families which is amazing. We’ve never had an issue with theft. Most patrons are respectful & friendly, & the environment is usually great.

The pool layout is smart. Most days, it’s great! If I was reviewing these days, I’d give the pool 5/5 stars. As it stands, I cannot do that.

Because all of that changes when day camp is there.

The lifeguards, excellent as they are, are overwhelmed — expected to monitor dozens of kids without adequate support. Their role shifts from ensuring safety to crowd control and the stress shows. Guards who normally say a calm “don’t run, buddy” start shouting “STOP RUNNING!” — not out of malice, but burnout.

Guards go from managing a calm mix of parents & children to trying to keep control over 15–20 unsupervised kids each who aren’t listening to them. Chaos.

The day camp staff appear to be minimal, 2 or 3 adults for dozens of kids & are usually on one side of the pool near the office.

Worst is the splash pad, it has no supervision at all. No lifeguards, no camp staff, just a group of kids doing whatever they want. Parents are left to fend for their own kids, but also manage the behavior of others.

Earlier this summer, our 6yo was followed around the splash pad by a group of older girls repeatedly throwing cups of water in her face, ignoring her when she said, “Please stop!” They didn’t until we intervened.

Yesterday, kids tore up cardboard & jammed it into water features. They spit chewed food on the floor. One boy screamed so loudly for 10 mins that my husband & I couldn’t hear each other speak. Another kid tried to spit mouthfuls of water on our younger kids & would chase our 1-year-old away from the water table by aggressively splashing her in the face. Kids licked the water features/ground. A group of girls were kicking & twisting each others arms & later threw rocks at the splash pad, making it dangerous for barefoot toddlers.

All of that was over 20 mins.

Earlier this summer, I stepped on a shard of glass at splash pad.

Inside the pool isn’t much better on those days. Once, I was adjusting my baby’s life jacket when a boy kicked me in the face & laughed. He swam between me & my baby & tried to stay there until my husband stepped in. No adult corrected him.

Another time, a group of boys played football in the zero-depth area, hitting multiple little kids & even landing on a toddler. No supervision. We left after 20 mins that day. We’re members, but if I had paid to get in and then had to leave after 20 mins because it’s not safe - I would be furious.

There’s a huge difference between lifeguards preventing drowning and actual supervision from trusted adults. If a big kid knocks a baby over, a lifeguard may not see it. A parent would correct it. That’s the issue: these kids are unsupervised in every meaningful way.

I don’t blame the kids. I don’t blame the lifeguards. I don’t blame the day camp workers.

This was a great idea in theory; get the day camp kids outside, let them enjoy the pool, keep attendance up on weekdays. In practice - it’s just not working.

There needs to be more staff. If it’s gotten to the point where paying patrons and members are avoiding the pool on camp days — and we do — then it’s no longer working for the whole community. With adequate staffing & supervision, we could ALL be there and have a great time.

If I were a parent sending my child to that day camp, I’d be upset to learn they spent the day at a splash pad with no supervision, throwing rocks, spitting water, and bullying younger kids — and no one intervened.

We love this pool. We want to keep coming. This part of the system is broken & badly in need of reform for...

After only 20 minutes of being there a storm rolled in and we had to get out of the water. We were told they would wait it out to see if we could go back in. The power went out so they decided to close for the day. I asked if we could get a refund or a voucher to come back on another day and I was told no they don’t offer those. It was definitely a waste of $36 and ruined our Father’s Day. There are plenty of other pools in the Quad City area with better rates, from now on we will use...

Place is awesome. Lazy river, small splash pad apart from the pool area and connected to the pool area. Basketball hoop, pads you can balance on; with a net over head to hang onto. We didn't go on the opposit side where it was deeper. But, if I saw correctly, there's one slide and 2-3 diving boards. Entrance fee was $9/person if you aren't a resident👍 I totally recommend this place. Very...