You know what’s just awesome? Summer in Pittsburgh. The city feels alive, people are everywhere, and all the fun things officially open up. Well, it’s that time of the year again when all the good things come in waves. Kennywood opens up, the Pittsburgh public pools are ready to go, and the parks all around the city are literally packed on a daily basis.
I’m pretty sure it’s why I love this city so much. I mean, I come from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a smallish town about 45 minutes southeast of the city, and it’s pretty much the same thing day after day. When I got my new job in Pittsburgh, I noticed incredible changes and have been able to experience the city life and all of it’s pleasures on a daily basis. Sure, it has it’s moments with traffic and never ending construction(looking at you Route 28), but there is just more to it than that. I don’t know, I guess it’s just what gets people to come back and work here. They’ve made it a pretty nice place to work and do your daily thing, and at this moment in time, I wouldn’t want to be elsewhere.
Moving on to an interesting story, because it’s time for summer. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote an article about the cost and maintenance of a public pool. The pools often require a ton of fixes, and really just lose money year after year, but politicians and officials recognize that they are a necessity of this area.
In the article it talks about a few pools around the area and what it costs to run/save them. Let’s take a look at what the Dormont Community Pool has to offer:
One day earlier this month when it was too cold for T-shirts, let alone a bathing suit, workers completed repairs on the mammoth Dormont Pool, preparing to open it this weekend.
Four years ago, when members of the community had to decide whether the pool was worth saving, they decided it was.
“It’s a jewel, and to have to let it go, that would have been a tragedy,” said Mr. Herrman, board vice president of a group that calls itself Friends of Dormont Pool. Through fundraisers, the group has generated about $85,000, helping to offset the costs of keeping the pool open.
In 2009, a tough financial year for most pools, the net cost, factoring in revenues and expenditures, of running the Dormont facility was $82,175, and in 2008, the net cost of running the pool was $52,698. The 2010 budget calls for a net cost of $64,200.
For repair work such as sandblasting, the pool has received grants totaling $650,000 over the past few years from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Officials from a few towns, such as Crafton and Mt. Lebanon, said they are looking for grants to help pay for pool repair costs in the coming years. Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Raja said the town is studying options for the future, such as sharing pool finances with a neighboring community or with the school district.
In preparation for this year’s opening, Dormont installed a new sound system and wireless Internet. As Friends of Dormont Pool contemplates the future, they hope it includes teaming with a corporate partner to support a “green” pool.
Mr. Herrman is helping to get the pool ready for opening day Saturday.
“There’s nothing better than a dip in the pool on a hot day,” he said
Wonderful, you know what’s crazy? A picture of a pool with no water in it. Check it out! Image and Excerpt can be found here: Staying afloat: Public pools can be a big drain on town coffers
Dormont Community Pool
Fri, May 28, 2010
Daily