North Park kiddie pool renovations continue

Parents anticipating the finish of the North Park baby pool renovation and site improvements project will have to wait a little longer.

Allegheny County’s pools opened June 3, but these renovations are still underway and should be completed later this summer, said Amie Downs, communications director for Allegheny County.

But there will be a lot of new water features to look forward to.

“When complete, it will feature new deck sprays, a play table with an umbrella, a fish kiddie slide, pop jet sprays, relocated umbrellas, shade sails, a shade pavilion, access starts with ADA rails, a flower shower, and a family slide,” she said.

The renovations are being completed within the same pool-area footprint at approximately 6,000 square feet. The previous pool had a single water play feature and deteriorated due to aging infrastructure and decades of use, Downs said.

Construction was publicly bid and awarded to Shiloh Industrial Contractors and Allegheny City Electric for $4.1 million, according to Downs.

North Park pool is one of the four pools operated by Allegheny County. The others are wave pools and located in Boyce Park, Settler’s Cabin and South Park.

As far as recruiting lifeguards at North Park and the other county pools, it’s been a good year.

“We have more than enough lifeguards. We need to have about 40 per pool, or 160 total, each summer. This year, we’re at 200 lifeguards, our largest lifeguard class in about a decade,” she said.

Lifeguards for the 2023 season can earn between $16 to $18 per hour, according to the Allegheny County website. The last lifeguard certification class for the 2023 season at Settler’s Cabin is scheduled for June 24-25, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration and information is listed on the Allegheny County website.

The North Park pool opened on June 20, 1937, and was dedicated on July 5, 1937, according to Downs. When built, it was said to accommodate 10,000 people at one time.

It was once considered one of the largest in the world, and one of the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi. It holds 2.22-million gallons of water.

It was located in a central area for county’s northern communities and served municipalities and residents before community and even personal swimming pools became parts of developments, according to information from Downs.

Pools are open daily 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., pending on the weather.