Wet weather washes out pool attendance
Children leave the pool at Alpha Aquatics in Waynesburg after thunderstorms drenched the area Thursday afternoon. Pools in Greene and Washington counties reported lower attendance figures this summer because of rainy weather.
Lifeguards Georgia Dunstan, 14, and Cole Griffin, 18, talk for a few minutes before Cole takes his seat overlooking a nearly empty swimming pool at Washington Park Thursday afternoon.
WAYNESBURG – Rain seems to be a daily occurrence this summer, and with forecasts showing a chance of precipitation more days than not, people are spending more time indoors.
Jake Blaker, director of Greene County Department of Recreation, described the attendance of local pools, day camps and other outdoor activities with one word: “Down.”
Waynesburg received 6.38 inches of rain in the month of June according to Pittsburgh National Weather Service. Though no records were broken, it rained 22 of 30 June days, with 10 consistent rainy days in a row.
“We can’t go a day without rain,” Blaker said. “When people get up in the morning, they watch the weather and they plan their day and activities, and when you see that thunderbolt on the TV screen you are not going to go to the pool.”
Blaker said attendance to Alpha Aquatic park and swimming pool in Waynesburg is down 40 percent. The 330,000-gallon pool with two water slides and a lazy river spent many summer days empty as rain along with thunder and lightning force swimmers out of the pool.
The weather also affected pool parties held at the Wana B Park pool in Carmichaels.
Blaker said every summer they are booked solid for pool parties in the evening, but because of afternoon and early evening showers, many were canceled.
“All you do is run people in and out,” he said. “You call them in for 15 minutes because of thunder then you let them back in. Then 20 minutes later, it begins to lightning and you have to call them back out. You don’t even get to enjoy the pool.”
Every time Blaker cancels a party, the department has to refund the family.
“In 26 years, this is the rainiest summer I have ever seen,” Blaker said. “But at least the grass is green.”
Pools and parks in Washington Countyalso were hit hard because of the constant rain.
“This is probably one of the slowest summers we’ve had here,” said Michael Burchesky, assistant manager of Canonsburg Town Park Pool.
The 90,000-gallon pool has a maximum capacity of 800 swimmers. It almost reached that during Fourth of July festivities, when the weather was warm and sunny.
However, Burchesky, who has worked at the pool for seven summers, said he “can count on one hand the number of times” there have been more than 60 visitors in a day. Usually, the pool sees about 100 people daily.
“Even on sunny days, we still have dwindling numbers,” he said. “I think it’s because people are scared it’s going to rain.”
Canonsburg Town Park Pool, open daily from noon to 6 p.m., only closes if lightning or thunder is present in the area.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Burchesky said. “We just need people to swim.”