Westmoreland public pools prepare for summer season

Despite some setbacks over the past few years, public pools in the area are looking forward to opening this week.

Making it to opening day amid the coronavirus pandemic and recent labor shortages hasn’t been easy, according to Glenn Moyer, arena and pool manager for Greensburg’s parks and recreation department.

Veterans’ Memorial Pool at Greensburg’s Lynch Field Park experienced a “big loss” in 2020 when it wasn’t open at all, Moyer said, but 2021 was “a good year” with higher attendance.

“We’re hoping to keep those numbers up,” Moyer said. “I think people had good experiences last year at the pool. We’re excited for a real good year.”

With national labor shortage issues, Moyer said, it was “definitely a lot of work” hiring lifeguards for the summer, but he believes the pool has “done well.”

“We have good staff numbers,” Moyer said. “We’re going to be in a really good position this season.”

At the height of the pandemic, prospective lifeguards were unable to take classes to become certified or recertified, which often include in-person training sessions.

Moyer said Veterans’ Memorial Pool paid for many of the lifeguard certifications as an “incentive” to encourage them to work.

The pool, at 520 New Alexandria Road, is set to open Friday, and its hours will be noon to 6 p.m. daily throughout the summer.

Other area pools set to open Friday include:

• Rogers-McFeely Memorial Pool, 1309 Memorial Drive, Latrobe, will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, as well as noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The pool is operated by Greater Latrobe Parks and Recreation.

• Youngwood Area Park & Pool, 801 S. 10th St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, according to board President Ed Christofano. Guests can expect a new stage for moonlight swim performances, as well as various events and entertainment, Christofano said.

“We are anticipating a high-traffic season,” Christofano said. “It’s a family-oriented pool.”

Though Christofano said the Youngwood pool wasn’t affected financially by the pandemic, he’s anticipating a raise in the cost of pool chemicals this year because of inflation and supply chain issues.

“We were very fortunate that we were able to adhere to those guidelines … and be able to still operate during the covid pandemic,” Christofano said. “During the pandemic, we had a lot of new visitors come to the facility, and they were highly impressed with the amount of greenspace we had.”

Christofano said “cubicle blocks” were created in the grassy areas surrounding the pool, and families could claim a block for the day.

The pool staff is still interviewing potential lifeguards for the summer.

“I think everyone’s experiencing some degree of labor shortages,” Christofano said, “but we feel confident that we have enough staff to successfully open the season.”

Similar to Veterans’ Memorial Pool, Christofano said Youngwood Area Park & Pool paid for lifeguard training in an effort to find employees.

Pools set to open Saturday include:

• Crabapple Pool, 1415 Herminie-West Newton Road, Sewickley Township. Hours will be 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily.

• Derry Community Pool, 425 E. Third St. Hours will be noon- 6:30 p.m. daily.

• West Newton Community Pool, 201 Peach Alley. Hours will be 12:30- 7 p.m. daily.

Leaders have organized a fundraising campaign for the West Newton pool’s 50th anniversary. A GoFundMe page is seeking $50,000 in donations to help with repairs, including installation of a new liner, concrete around both pools and filter house repairs.

According to the page, the pool wasn’t able to open in 2020 because of the pandemic, personnel shortages and maintenance issues. In 2021, the pool was open, but it lost a “substantial amount of water because of continued leakage.”

“There are so many needs to make this facility a manageable and safe environment,” the GoFundMe page said.