Community pools face repairs, attendance woes
Officials with the private swimming pool in Mars said this past week they will host a meeting Wednesday to discuss ideas about how it can stay open.
They might see if the borough can help the financially-strapped pool stay afloat.
There are other pools that are showing signs of economic strain that threaten their survival.
Of seven community pools contacted in Butler County, three are struggling as expenses outpace income. Others pools have been able to make repairs and improvements a little at a time to keep up with maintenance.
Here are snapshots of how nearly all of the outdoor community pools in the county are faring.
Cindy Caldwell, pool manager at the EDCO Park in Evans City, has a blunt assessment of the state of that pool.“Ours is horrible. Our pool was built in 1987; it does need repaired,” Caldwell said. “Our baby pool is currently closed. We're trying to reopen it, but we don't get any tax money.”Caldwell said the entire facility needs repairs and renovations, but a lack of funds is putting off that work.The pool receives funding from several sources, including swim lessons, entrance fees and fundraising events, Caldwell said.The pool does not receive any taxes or government grants, she added, noting that the pool operates on about $50,000 a year.“Sometimes we fundraise just to make ends meet,” Caldwell said. “We are always fundraising. I think everyone has made a conscious effort to fundraise.”Caldwell said that numerous people have volunteered to renovate segments of the pool, but due to government regulations and oversight, “we have to jump through hoops to get anything done.”And, she added, “without the money to take care of it, it's not going to happen.”Grants have been considered, but Caldwell said the pool has been unable to get grants for improvements — or even apply for certain grants — because a $15,000 feasibility study on the pool has not been done.Caldwell estimated that about 1,000 people have used the pool this year.One main effort for funding, she said, are events like Neighborhood Nights and “Wild Wednesdays.”“We have Wild Wednesdays, which is an activity with our lifeguards, everything from kayaking, princess parties to fly tying,” Caldwell said. “We also do diving board tricks and swimming pool games.”Another popular attraction has been the Neighborhood Nights, the last of which is from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday. The event has a $3 entry fee and includes swimming, music, an outdoor movie and a campfire where people can cook specialty concession items like s'mores and hot dogs.
After having a study done recently, the parks board found out the pool, built in 1957, would cost more to repair than to rebuild.The concrete has deteriorated, although it is still able to operate normally now.The new pool is estimated to cost $1.5 million, and the parks board is seeking public input on a preliminary plan. The new pool could include the addition of a heating system, which could increase it use.The pool has a daily capacity of 300, which it regularly reaches on hot days, pool co-director Lisa Salak said.The membership has grown in the past couple of years and use of the pool has increased as new programs have been added, Salak said.New programs include scuba diving lessons, kayaking and camps for youth. The pool also is available to rent for private parties.
Financial conditions at the membership-only Mars Pool is tenuous enough for the board to host a public meeting to consider turning the facility into a public pool.The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the pool's recreation building, 591 Stanton Ave.The board will listen to other suggestions to help keep the pool viable.The meeting will help determine how much responsibility the borough council will have, if any, for the pool built in the late 1950s.Nichole Fromlak, the pool board's treasurer, said the pool has 94 memberships this year, 120 in 2013, and 125 in 2012. She attributes the falling number to pools in housing plans, the busy schedules of families, and other factors.To operate at a profit, Fromlak said, the pool must have 150 memberships.Fromlak said while numbers are dropping, the pool property is in great shape. She said the board took out a mortgage in 2008 to build a $180,000 recreation room.Last year, a significant leak was fixed, the baby pool was repaired and reopened, the pool was patched, a new main pump was bought, and concrete work was completed.The pool board has had activities to try to attract more members, including a Pancakes at the Pool breakfast, Christmas in July, a yard sale, opening to the public on holidays, a free swim event for fathers on Father's Day, and Stories and Swimming on Thursdays in conjunction with the Mars Public Library.“The library is hurting too, so we split the profits with them,” Fromlak said.
The pool at Alameda Park was built in 1972. With such a long history, pool manager Ashley Helmstaedter said it does need some work.“I would say it's in fair to good condition,” she said.She said some of the concrete is sinking and there are some cracks. But it will be getting a major renovation soon. It last was renovated in 1998.Crews plan to install a new concrete deck while contractors will add slides, a splash pad, a handicap-accessible stair entry and a climbing wall.The project is funded by a $400,000 state grant, $300,000 from timbering revenue and the remaining amount from gas drilling impact fee money. The project is expected to begin in the fall and be finished in time for the 2015 summer season.Money from the county and from admissions runs the pool. Helmstaedter said the pool does not make a big profit, but it also does not lose a lot of money either.“We're able to stay about even,” Helmstaedter said.Last year, the pool had 24,000 swimmers.
The Cranberry Township Waterpark in North Boundary Park is thriving this year as attendance is climbing and is expected to reach more than 75,000 people.Pete Geis, director of parks and recreation for the township, said more than 75,000 people annually use the facility.“We've already seen a good number this year, and we still have a few weeks left until we close for the season after Labor Day,” Geis said.The waterpark remains in “phenomenal” condition despite being almost two decades old, Geis said. However, officials are about to embark on a $1.7 million improvement project that will start in September.That project will widen the zero-depth entry for the pool, while crews will also resurface the pool and add a new filtration system.The waterpark was self-sustaining financially last year, and Geis said he expects the same this year.“Our goal is to have it self-sustaining every year,” he said.
The pool at the YMCA Camp/Armco Park in Slippery Rock Township is in good condition.Pool manager Sarah Cessar said, when the Butler and Rose E. Schneider YMCAs took over the park in 2007, they began renovation work, which included a new pump system, new slides, new lifeguard chairs and concrete work. A few years ago, a splash pad children's area was added.“(YMCA) has done a lot of upgrades over the past seven years,” Cessar said.Money from the YMCA has been paying for most of the renovations while revenue from the pool pays for the day-to-day operations. Cessar said she is optimistic that the pool will be more self-sustaining once all renovations are done.The first year the park became public, 2007, the pool got 3,000 visitors. This number has increased each year.In 2013, 13,000 people visited the pool and Cessar said it is on track to reach that number again this summer.She said the YMCA added pavilions and made other renovations at the park.
The Seven Fields Town Park Pool has been hurt this summer because there has not been a 90-degree day and there's been on and off rains.Borough Manager Tom Smith said a variety of factors — topped by the bad weather — has led to a challenging summer for the public pool.“This year has been horrible,” Smith said. “The weather this summer has impacted income generated. There's some years we do well, others we don't.”Smith said that the state of the borough's pool facility is good, primarily due to a $250,000 capital improvement campaign in 2008 that fixed several problems and added a baby pool and sprinkler pad.The pool is funded mainly from the borough's general fund, but that money is supplemented from yearly memberships, daily entry fees and swimming lessons, Smith said.But this year, the pool has been closed many days due to bad weather, which decreases its income.One other aspect that has made 2014 a tough summer finance-wise, Smith added, is the loss of its biggest customer.“We lost Kindercare, our biggest customer for swim lessons,” Smith said. “That's $6,000 right there.”Smith blamed the departure of Kindercare on state regulations requiring more lifeguards and supervisors to be on site, which was too expensive.Smith said that in his experience as a borough manager involved with the seasonal pool operation, he doesn't think any city or community makes a profit operating a pool.“I've never heard of a pool making money,” Smith said. “It's an amenity you just provide to the community. You assume it will take a loss; you try to minimize it.”
SEBCO Pool at Laura J. Doerr Memorial Park in Jefferson Township relies entirely on income from its pass holders and from users.However, pool manager Dawn Hajek said that the cooler, rainier summers of this year and last year have brought attendance down a bit.“We're hoping for a couple hot weeks to come,” Hajek said.She said that the board that governs the pool is fiscally responsible, and plans for renovations each year. Just before this season started, new curbing was installed and some caulking was done.“Right now, we're in pretty good condition,” Hajek said.She said the pool is in good financial condition, but she said the low attendance last year and this year can be worrisome, noting that payroll always needs to be met.“It is a concern when you don't have a good summer,” Hajek said.Penn ValleyOfficials at the Penn Valley Athletic Club in Penn Township could not be reached for comments about their pool.
