Town Park Pool weathers successful season
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jeffrey Petanowick splashes a bit of water on Cindi Bendis as she floats in Town Park Pool. The Canonsburg facility closed for the season on Labor Day.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Aiden Schwoerer takes one final leap off the diving board as Canonsburg Town Park Pool closed for the season on Labor Day.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kristifor Hunter takes one final plunge into Town Park Pool as the Canonsburg facility closed for the season on Labor Day.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kristifor Hunter takes one final plunge into Town Park Pool as the Canonsburg facility closed for the season on Labor Day.
Canonsburg said goodbye for the summer as Town Park Pool closed for the season after a sun-drenched Labor Day weekend.
Pool manager Adam Manion considers that an achievement. The facility opened June 20 amid the global coronavirus pandemic and with attendance restriction.
“Considering what we were up against going into it this, the season went really well,” Manion said. “I didn’t know if we would make it past Fourth of July and here we are. We made it to Labor Day. It worked. It worked well.”
Cindi Bendis could not agree more. For 48 years she swam at another facility, but it did not open this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am so grateful to Canonsburg. This is a wonderful pool. It’s a gem,” she said. “It was a fabulous season. I really enjoyed it.”
Each morning before the pool opened, Manion said lifeguards disinfected and cleaned the facility. Every 15 minutes during the pool’s hours of operation from 12 to 6 p.m., workers sprayed equipment and high-touch areas, including the pool’s entry and exit railings. Lifeguards all wore masks.
“It was a lot of work for these kids. To see them go around disinfecting and spraying was reassuring and gave people some peace of mind,” Manion said. “That was one of the big compliments that people had. How well we kept things and how safe they felt.”
The added responsibilities were all in a day’s work said Jamie Vidmar, assistant manager and lifeguard at Town Park Pool.
“Everyone did what they had to do,” she said. “It was just another aspect of the job.”
Keeping tabs on attendance was another added responsibility. Because of state guidelines, admission was limited to 250 swimmers at one time.
“With our maximum capacity, it was difficult some days,” Vidmar said, “but we stayed on top of things and handled that well.”
During July when the region experienced 13 consecutive 90-degree days, Town Park Pool held fast to those numbers. Marion said there were days when the gates were opened at 11:30 a.m. because patrons were already line up. By 12 p.m., the facility already contained 175.
Manion said they never turned swimmers away. When the pool reached capacity, bathers waited. When families left, new ones came in.
“People where more than eager to sit around and wait,” he said.
Manion said wait-times were approximately 15 minutes. He said once the staff “got into the swing of things,” he would tell people if they did not arrive by 1 p.m. they would have to wait until 3 or 3:30 p.m.
“Of all the summers to have such hot weather,” Manion said. “We did have some really nice days and the turnout was very good this summer.”
Manion said he doesn’t usually begin planning for the summer until February, but he is looking forward to returning closer to normal in 2021.
“The kids did a nice job enabling us to stay open as long as we did and allowing families around here, who had so much canceled, have an enjoyable summer,” he said. “People stayed with the program as far as what we asked them to do. It was good.
“I’m looking forward for COVID to be done and us to go back to normal and not have to tell people to go back to their cars and get their masks,” Manion added. “This has been going on for so long that it’s becoming normal and I certainly don’t want that.”
Susan Passante, Canonsburg Town Park board member, said she was pleased the pool’s operation over the summer under difficult conditions.
“Despite the countless hurdles, the staff did an exceptional job,” she said. “The success was a result of good planning and procedures being in place, and the consistent and thoughtful execution.
“The amount of positive feedback we received from the community was incredible,” she added. “The gratefulness to have a place to go to get exercise, cool off and just have a slice of normalcy was shared by hundreds of guests.”