Ryerson Station pool opening delayed
The swimming pool at Ryerson Station State Park will not be open in time for Memorial Day weekend as the park staff completes final pool repairs and attempts to hire enough lifeguards to begin the season.
Park manager Alan Johnson said he hopes the pool will be ready to open mid-June, though that will depend on whether the park has been able to hire enough certified lifeguards.
Several maintenance and repair issues had been revealed during the process of preparing the pool for the start of the season.
“We think we have them fixed, ” Johnson said. “So far, the repairs we have made seem to be working.”
The park, however, still needs a full complement of lifeguards.
“That’s one of my biggest concerns right now,” he said.
The park has received applications from people who want to work as lifeguards but who still must complete their lifeguard training classes, he said. These applicants are now taking the classes offered in the county, but those classes only began Monday, he said.
“I’m still hopeful that as soon as they finish their classes and we conduct our interviews, we can get some people hired,” he said. “It’s just a matter of waiting.”
The pool was closed last year because of dredging nearby at Duke Lake, but in past years the park has had problems finding lifeguards, forcing it to close the pool several days each week or end the swimming season at the park early.
For several years, the park had a steady core of young people who would return each year, he said. But normally, “more often than not,” the park has had a problem finding enough people.
“I honestly don’t know what the problem is,” Johnson said.
The park can open the pool partially with three lifeguards, but it needs at least six for full operations, Johnson said.
This year, the park tried to get an early start on its recruiting, issuing an announcement in February seeking applicants for the lifeguard positions.
Johnson urged anyone interested in a lifeguard position at the pool to call him at the park office at 724-428-4254 regarding the application process.
People can also check the advisory section of the park website for updates on the status of the pool and its hours at www.dcnr.pa.gov/stateparks/findapark/ryersonstation.