EVANS CITY — Anyone with an Internet connection can donate to help pay for the refurbishing of the EDCO Park pool.

A GoFundMe account has been set up by the EDCO Authority board to collect donations for the considerable upgrades.

Cindy Caldwell, EDCO board member and pool director, said it would cost up to $100,000 to complete all the work needed. She said neither the borough council nor the EDCO authority has the money to pay it.

Upon the suggestion of resident Katie Weber, EDCO officials set up an account on the GoFundMe website, which allows users to collect funds for causes.

Caldwell said the account was set up on June 6. As of Monday afternoon, $645 had been raised by nine people in eight days.

Many positive comments accompanied the donations, which can be made in any amount.

Caldwell hopes the donations continue so the pool can be upgraded and remain a community asset.

“I hope the community steps up and shows they care about the pool,” she said.

Upgrades needed include new cement work around the pool, a thorough cleaning of the pool surface, a new liner, and removal or replacement of the tile around the pool.

She said the baby pool, which was closed in 2011 or 2012, has an underground plumbing system that leaks significant water.

Because no drawings of the plumbing system exist, excavating to fix the leak would be costly. An attempt to insert a camera into the plumbing failed when the camera revealed 90-degree bends in the pipes that it could not make.

Caldwell would like to see the baby pool replaced with a splash pad, which would be safer, accessible to children with disabilities, and less expensive to operate.

“It would be nice to add all the safety and (Americans with Disabilities Act) features to make something more usable,” Caldwell said.

Attendance at the pool did dip when the baby pool was closed, Caldwell said, because parents like to start their toddlers off in a shallow pool before going to the adult pool.

Those with young children now take advantage of the free flotation devices the pool provides for its youngest clients.

Weber said she suggested the GoFundMe idea at an authority meeting in March. Weber said her extended family is concerned that the EDCO pool will close like the Mars pool did last year.

“When things start getting shut down, it brings negativity and community pride disappears,” Weber said. “The pool is one of the last things left in Evans city to hang onto.”

She said the GoFundMe account is a way for people to donate without having to write a check or leave their homes.

“It's a trend nowadays, so I thought 'Why not give it a shot?'” Weber said. “Many people are willing to help worthy causes, they just don't know how.”

Weber said she and her family like the EDCO pool because it is affordable, accessible by foot, has a concession stand, and offers a good way to cool off without having to travel.

Donors can help the pool by going to www.gofundme.com, and searching for the EDCO account by entering “EDCO” or Evans City's ZIP code, 16033. Donors can then click on “EDCO Park and Pool Restoration,” and then “Donate now” to enter their information on the secure website.