Wednesday, June 18, 2008
By ELISE FRANCO
Pool prices are reasonable: 50 cents for kids under 18 and $1 for adults.
YOUNGSTOWN — For the first time in several years, both the North Side Pool and Borts Pool will open today as scheduled.
Jason Whitehead, chief of staff/secretary to the mayor and acting park director, said the last time this happened was 2004, before North Side Pool was torn out and rebuilt.
“There isn’t really a lot of excitement this year. [The excitement] was last year with the North pool because of the splash pad that was built for the kids,” he said. “We’re hoping that people will choose to go to Borts as well since they’re both opening on time.”
North Side Pool was demolished in spring 2006 with the intent to rebuild. Because of financial delays, the new pool wasn’t constructed and ready for use until July 2007.
In July 2006, during the hottest weeks of the summer, Borts Pool closed due to a hole in one of two functioning chlorine tanks. The remaining tank wouldn’t work properly on its own, so the pool had to be shut down for repairs. This left Youngstown residents with no place to swim for 22 days.
Whitehead said much preparation goes into getting the pools ready for opening day.
“Prep work starts about 30 days before the pools open with a crew of 10 to 15 individuals working at both pools,” he said. “We put the water in a few days ahead to make sure the other equipment is working properly.”
Maintenance crews spend the weeks before the pools open painting, cleaning and putting up diving boards, ladders and lifeguard stations, as well as making sure all the filtration equipment is working.
The pools are open 1 to 8 p.m., seven days a week, and the season runs from today to Aug. 16.
“We run it the same as our summer day-camp program, so normally we have to wait until Youngstown schools are out,” Whitehead said. “We try to time it two weeks after school is out and run it for eight weeks.”
The pools have few restrictions, but he said it’s important to follow the ones that are in place.
Everyone in the pool must be wearing a swimsuit; no shorts or other types of clothing are allowed. Also, hair clips, jewelry and scrunchies must be left on dry land. No food or drinks other than water are permitted inside the pool grounds.
The cost to swim is 50 cents for children under 18 and $1 for adults. Whitehead said if swimmers leave the pool grounds for any reason, they must pay to re-enter.
efranco@vindy.com.