With the easing of some state-mandated restrictions on pool openings, Cranberry Township plans to make a splash with its water park sooner rather than later.

While the township planned on opening by July 1 if the county was moved to the state's green phase of reopening, it now expects to open by then — or earlier — regardless, now that Gov. Tom Wolf said pools can be open in counties in the yellow phase.

“We are running as fast as we can to get it open as soon as we can, certainly no later than July 1,” township manager Jerry Andree said. “We're fairly confident we can beat that date.”

Early in April, the township surveyed water park season ticket holders as to whether they would attend during the pandemic, seeking guidance on whether Cranberry should invest in reopening the pool for a shorter season. While the results were mixed, Andree said, this week's sudden warmup could likely send some people in search of a place to cool off.

“That was taken two months ago, in the height of COVID,” he said. “I think what you'll see is people's attitudes are changing, especially with the weather changing. Beautiful weather, hot weather, the COVID cases have leveled off or dropped. The curve was flattened. People want to get out.”

The township's job is to help people get out “safely,” he said. That includes encouraging social distancing and sanitizing the pool's facilities more frequently.

“That may be marking the ground, being aware how people flow through the facility,” he said. “We will not be opening the sand playground, nor the sand volleyball areas. That is not feasible under the (state and CDC) regulations.”

Although other communities in Butler County, such as nearby Seven Fields and Evans City, are concerned about finding workers, such as lifeguards, that's not the case in Cranberry, Andree said. The township was keeping its pool workers apprised of the situation, he said.

“The vast majority of employees were anxious to come back to work,” Andree said.