Ryerson pool to reopen this summer after yearlong closure
The swimming pool at Ryerson Station State Park, which was closed last summer while crews dredged nearby Duke Lake, is expected to open this year, during the Memorial Day weekend.
However, that will depend on whether the park first can hire enough lifeguards, park manager Alan C. Johnson said Tuesday.
“Our goal is to open for the Memorial Day weekend, as we have historically,” Johnson said. “But it’s entirely dependent on whether we have the lifeguards.”
In past years, the park had difficulties finding enough lifeguards, forcing it to close the pool several days each week or end the swimming season at the park early, Johnson said.
“Our goal is to be open seven days a week, but some years we’ve just not had enough guards,” he said.
Several years ago, the pool also was closed for the season in July, instead of on Labor Day weekend, when a lifeguard resigned and a replacement could not be found.
Johnson said it’s been hard finding young people who have the required lifeguard certifications. The park also is in a rural area, away from any population center, which could mean a longer commute for anyone wanting a lifeguard job there.
The park has already begun recruiting lifeguards to get a start on the season. Those interested must meet requirements for a lifeguard or lifeguard supervisor as defined by the state’s Civil Service Commission, pass a test and be on the State Civil Service Commission list.
Information is available on the Civil Service Commission’s website at www.scsc.pa.gov.
Johnson also urged those interested in a lifeguard position at the pool to call the park office at 724-428-4254 if they need assistance working through the process.
The pool was closed last summer while construction crews removed silt from the nearby lake bed of Duke Lake in preparation for rebuilding the lake dam. The state, however, later announced the dam would not be rebuilt because of continuing movement in the ground at the dam site.
Johnson said he believes most people took the pool closing in stride.
“A lot of people witnessed the amount of trucks coming in and out of here and realized (opening the pool) was not a good idea,” he said.