The Buhl city pool will open for the summer on June 9 after a staffing shortage forced the city to cancel the entire 2025 season, leaving residents frustrated and sparking online controversy.The 85-year-old swimming pool will op erate for 11 weeks through the summer after the city announced it has hired a full staff of lifeguards the obstacle that led to last year's closure.For residents like Rhema Tom, the news is a welcome relief."Having the pool now is just so exciting because like a lot of us moms live inside in Buhl proper, and so we don't even have to drive here if we don't want to, like we can walk here," explained Tom.Hear how Buhl got its pool opened again | meanwhile, a controversial parking ordinance continues Buhl city pool opens June 9 after last year's controversial closureThe closure hit families hard, with parents scrambling to find summer activities for their children."It was really hard to find activities for my kids without having the pool here," Tom said. "You can only walk around the park so many times."Even younger residents felt the sting of last year's cancellation."Last year, it was closed, and I was really disappointed. But I'm so excited that it's opening," said Lewis Nestman, a young fellow of approximately five years old. Buhl City Council President Marla Sisson said the relief is widespread across the community now that the pool's opening date is confirmed."I know that my kids were sad last year, and I was [too]. I told them the pool is open this year they are ready to go," Sisson said. "I'm so happy to be able to tell citizens that we finally have our pool that's opening."Parking ordinance sparks new debateEven as one controversy fades, another is taking shape in Buhl.A 2024 parking ordinance prohibits trailers and campers from being parked on neighborhood streets unless they are actively being loaded or unloaded. Previously, residents could keep trailers or campers on city streets for up to 72 hours, though enforcement was widely considered inconsistent.During a city council meeting, one resident summed up the frustration: "We've gone from one extreme to another."A petition to repeal the ordinance has gathered more than 200 signatures.Residents interviewed in downtown Buhl declined to go on camera, but shared a range of opinions. One woman said she supported the restrictions in principle but believed residents should be given a grace period of 8 to 12 hours to load and unload. Others described being ticketed within an hour of having a trailer on the street.After significant community input, the council is drafting an update to the ordinance. A public hearing is scheduled for June 8."I am hopeful that we can again work together as a community, get the community's input," Sisson said. "At least we can get to some sort of common grounds where people feel heard, and we can move forward with a new ordinance."Council meetings now streamed on YouTubeAs of December 2025, all Buhl City Council meetings are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to watch at any time. Sisson said she hopes the added transparency will boost public participation and help combat misinformation."Im also a parent, and Im busy, and so there are some times when I could see that people dont cant actually get to a meeting physically, and its nice for them to still be involved," noted Sisson.Having the meetings available for anyone can also help stem some of the rumors that can sweep through social media like wildfire."People can say things on the Internet and other people take them as truth, but if you have a live video of what we are actually saying, what is happening in the city, not only does it fact-check that, but it keeps people involved, so hopefully the misinformation dissipates," Sisson concluded.This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less