WEST PITTSTON -- Some people in Luzerne County are sad to see their community pool turned to rubble.
Crews began demolishing the old pool in West Pittston Monday.
Newswatch 16 found some people who stopped by the site after workers left for the day. They grabbed a sign and a few pieces of the crumbling concrete to take as mementos. They said they don't even recognize the place where they spent much of their childhood.
"It looks like a mausoleum, really sad to see it go. It's like a piece of your childhood crumbling away. It's very, very painful," said Helena Falzone of Exeter.
"Everyone was friends with everyone. Nobody knew their names. Everybody would go to hang out, spend the whole day. You knew your kids were safe. It was just a great, safe atmosphere. We're gonna miss it," said Donna Yonkondy of West Pittston.
"Community pools in this day and age are becoming a rarity, and it really is a thing of the past. What's this thing been here? 50 years? 60 years it's been here? Long before I was coming here, so I'm not the only one in this community that really feels this at their core," said Jon Yonkondy of West Pittston.
Borough officials said they had no choice but to close the pool in 2012 once repairs became too expensive.
