FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — Summer is the perfect time for a swim.
And since there’s a perfectly good pool sitting at his official residence, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman decided to open it to the public.
Fetterman, whose family chose not to live at the government property, known as the State House, said Friday he hopes this will help summer camps and groups without access to a swimming facility.
“If my children are welcome to swim in the pool at the LG mansion, any child in PA is this summer,” Fetterman wrote on Twitter.
Fetterman’s wife, Gisele, who is handling pool use requests, said she has received 20 requests since Friday, including inquiries from one of the first historically black churches in the region, a group that helps children with incarcerated parents and more.
“We want children who visit the pool to learn life-saving skills and have a great experience,” she said.
“Swimming comes with a painful legacy of racial segregation. If my children can swim in that pool, so should every child in Pennsylvania.”
The pool is located at the “State House” in Fort Indiantown Gap. The three-story, 2,400 square foot house was officially designated as the lieutenant governor’s residence in 1971, but Fetterman’s family lives in a restored car dealership in Braddock, according to the governor’s website.
Pennsylvania is the only state that provides a residence to the lieutenant governor.
Last month, state Sen. Joseph Scarnati proposed selling the property and using the proceeds to assist military veterans in obtaining affordable housing.
