Endowment Fund to Benefit Forest Park Aquatic Center Student Lifeguards and Staff
Caretakers of Our Local Pool
As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of a public pool at Forest Park, we should remember all the lifeguards and student staff over the years who were devoted to the place. Many of them enjoyed the summers swimming every day when they were young and looked forward to working there when they were old enough. These teens trained to provide a safe environment for our community and gained meaningful experiences to take with them as adults. It is time to increase support for the student staff who worked multiple years serving the patrons of FPAC.
Rip Kisner, Emma Bowling, Quinton Harrington (back), Mark Berger, and Carter Remsen
The Friends of Central Pool, Inc., the organization that manages the Forest Park Aquatic Center in Noblesville, has announced the formation of a steering committee to focus on the continued development of its Endowment Fund established several years ago at the Hamilton County Community Foundation. The decision to focus on expanding the Fund as the pool heads toward a century of swimming seemed just right. FOCP Board President, Doug Church, announced that Marge and Dale Ostler will serve as the Co-Chairs of the special Endowment Fund Committee. Church stated, ”Marge (Fields) Ostler was a lifeguard at the old pool in Forest Park. She and Dale were 
early and significant supporters of the efforts to rehabilitate the Forest Park Aquatic Center. Their blood, sweat, tears and treasure have been hugely responsible for making FPAC the significant community asset that it is.” The Fund will provide a variety of grants that will benefit, not just the pool, but the lifeguards and staff who serve it. “We have a dedicated and talented group of high school and college students who work as lifeguards and managers every summer and they are dedicated to FPAC,” said Church. “Having the ability to award scholarships to those deserving individuals is a strong motivation for increasing the Endowment Fund,” said Greg Conner, Vice President of the Board. Persons interested in finding out more about the Endowment Fund and how they can make a contribution may contact Doug Church at dchurch@cchalaw.com or Greg Conner at GConner@BastianSolutions.com. Friends of Central Pool PO Box 10 Noblesville 46061.
The Forest Park Aquatic Center has recently undergone over $500,000 in improvements largely thanks to the support provided by the City of Noblesville and additional improvements are planned. FPAC served as the host for the 2020 AAU National Diving Championship and other major regional diving events are planned for later this summer. “We are very proud to have Ripfest Diving Club as one of our participating teams,” said Kim Bowling, Aquatics Manager. She continued, ”The Ripfest group, coached by Olympic Coach John Wingfield, draws participants from across the country and just this week, Tyler Downs, a Ripfest diver from Fishers won first place in three meter diving at the Olympic trials and will be on his way to Tokyo to represent the USA in late July.” FPAC and the Noblesville Swim Club will also be host to the Indiana State Age Group meet in July with qualified swimmers from all over the state participating.
Reagan Heart
FPAC Lifeguards
On a typical day, all guards come in 30 minutes early to start their opening duties getting the facility ready to open. Each lifeguard is in the chair for approximately 20 minutes at each station and gets a 20 minute break every hour and a half. All guards must be certified in CPR, First Aid and Lifeguarding and Kim Bowling is able to teach and certify them. All guards have the opportunity to work after hour events. However, our more experienced guards are the ones who work the swimming and diving meets which they look forward to each year. Guards are also hired outside of the pool for events such as open water swims and camps. Kim is contacted and then she puts it out for them to pick up if interested. The minimum age to become a lifeguard at FPAC is fifteen. It is not just swimmers who become guards, often soccer players and cross country athletes do too.
The following guards are all going to college and have been with FPAC for five plus years.
Manager – Anna Harrington is going to her fourth year at Indiana University for Nursing and Public Health.
Manager – Elysa Harrington is going to her second year at Grace College with a degree in Nursing.
Guard – Abby Retz is going to her first year at Butler University for Pre-Law and History.
Guard – Tina Berger is going to her second year at Valparaiso University for International Relations, Criminology and Spanish.
Manager – Macee Holmes is going to her second year at Ball State University for Criminal Justice.
Guard – Lauren Motz is going to her first year at Butler University for Criminology and Psychology.
Guard – Tara Holder is going to her first year at DePauw University for Biology.
Manager – Nick Beeson is going to IUPUI for Public Safety Management.
Guard – Evie Seaman is going to Purdue University for Pre-Veterinary Medicine.
Guard – Katie Witte is going to Ball State University for Business Analytics.
Guard – Joseph Gassensmith is going to Ball State University for Urban Planning and Pre-Law.
Guard – Laura Hughes is going to the University of Southern Indiana for Pediatric Oncology Nursing.
Meet Some of the Lifeguards and Staff
Nick Beeson
“I am a manager at Forest Park Aquatic Center. I have been working at Forest Park Aquatic Center for five years. I really enjoy my job at Forest Park Aquatic Center because of the people I work with. Everyone on staff that includes managers, guards, and the front desk are all like family to me. The work environment is very positive, which makes me happy to come into work every day. I enjoy constant work all day long. There’s always something I can fix, clean, or do to help someone including a patron or staff member around the facility every day.”
Tina Berger
“I have been working at Forest Park for about four years now. I love working at FPAC so much purely based on the family atmosphere that comes from the staff. Everyone I work with is so friendly and they are all people that I enjoy spending my day with!””
Joseph Gassensmith
“I am a student at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, with a major in Urban Planning, and I also have a Pre-Law designation. I have been working at FPAC for five years, and i really love it! It has served as a great starter/summer job, as the flexible hours and fun work environment made it perfect for a high school/college student. Additionally, I believe having my long employment at FPAC listed on my resume helps my future employers, whether they be internships or careers, know that when I find a job I love, I am a loyal employee.”
Annalyse Harrington
“I have been working at FPAC for six summers now. The biggest reason why I love to work here and keep coming back is how close our staff is. We are like a family and there’s never a dull moment. It is always fun to work with your best friends every summer!”
Elysa Harrington
“I have been working at FPAC for four years. I love working at FPAC because of the family like feel and seeing something new everyday. I find myself there even on my days off! “
Tara Holder
“I have been working at Forest Park for three years and I love working here because of the connection I have made with the staff and how there is always something new everyday! I am going to DePauw University to study biology for a pre-dental path.”
Macee Holmes
“I have been working at Forest Park Pool since I was 14, and this summer I will be turning 20. Over the years working at the pool I’ve been able to meet a lot of co-workers that have become long time friends! I also really enjoy being an FPAC employee because it’s something I can look forward to during the school year, now being in college it’s hard to keep in contact and visit friends as they are in college too but once the year is over a lot of us continue to come back and spend the summer working together! Another thing that has been great about working here is that I have always felt that our time and work is valued and we are always showed appreciation for the things we do.”
Laura Hughes
“I just started working at Forest Park Aquatic Center this year as of June 1st. I’ve absolutely loved it! I moved here two weeks prior to working for FPAC and working there has made the transition so much easier. I love that we act like one big family.”
Lauren Motz
“This summer is my fourth year working at the pool. I worked at front desk for two years before becoming a lifeguard. I really enjoy my job because the people I work with make it so that I want to work. I know most of them because of either school or sports, and it’s like I have grown up with a lot of them.”
Abby Retz
Evie Seaman
Katie Witte
“I’m a new transfer student at Ball State this year. I’m studying Business Analytics. This is my sixth summer at Forest Park Aquatic Center. I choose to work at FPAC because it provides a fun summer job that is filled with friends and with very flexible hours. I enjoy getting to serve my community through life guarding and maintaining a clean and safe facility.”