HONESDALE, Pa. — We are more than halfway through July, and some residents of Honesdale are taking their first dip at the community pool.
"Excited, so excited! The kids have something to do. Apple Grove Park is shut down right now due to all this stuff that's over there and the contamination, so it was a really good thing that the pool got opened as soon as it did," said Lisa Constable.
"Very happy, especially in such a rainy season. We're freshwater swimmers. We spent a lot of time in the creek and in the Delaware, and it's been not swimmable and not really safe to bring the kids. So, and of course, they love to come and see their friends here at the pool," said Alison Peck of Honesdale.
Kids in the day camp program at the YMCA have been able to swim at the pool until now, but there weren't enough lifeguards to open it for all. Honesdale borough officials and the Honesdale YMCA worked it out, so every kid now has some time to splash safely, and that's great news for parents.
"Thanks to the YMCA assistance, we actually have like more lifeguards so we can have it open to the public currently, and then also due to the lifts of COVID regulations around the local area so that helped in droves to actually get us open," said pool assistant manager Evin Schultz.
"They pulled together, and they always get the job done, I think. It takes some time, but they do it," said Matt Bowman.
Depending on the day, people may find that some things like the diving board or the slide might not be open because they're still having trouble getting staffed.
"We don't need only lifeguards. Even if we just had people that don't have to be lifeguard trained that can help with admissions or concessions, like that help a million times better because we free up more people, and have them be able to be out here and have more rotations," Schultz said.
"If everybody has a sense of community and everybody kicks in their part, then I feel like we would have a better state for everybody here in Honesdale," Constable said.
The pool will be open to the public Wednesday through Friday, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from noon till 3:30 p.m. on weekends.