Although it loses money almost every year, the Lawton W. Shroyer Memorial Swimming Pool on North Rock Street in Shamokin provides a valuable summer recreational outlet for youngsters and adults.
Weather permitting and barring any mechanical problems, the pool will open for the season Saturday, June 11, then daily, from noon to 6 p.m., through Labor Day, Sept. 5. Night swims for various groups also will be available.
Larry Strausser, aquatic facility operator at the pool, said it costs the city between $50,000 and $60,000 per year to staff, operate and maintain the pool, which also contains a wading pool. "We usually operate at a deficit," Strausser said. "Very seldom do we break even, but it's a nice place for everyone to cool off and we do our best to keep the pool in great shape."
The longtime pool supervisor and public safety technician for the city said most swimming pools in the area lose money each year, except for the Crystal Pool at Knoebels Amusement Resort, which is a much larger facility that attracts more people on a daily basis because of the park and camping area.
In 2010, the Lawton W. Shroyer Memorial Swimming Pool just about broke even, according to Shamokin Controller Gary Haddock.
"Municipal pools are very expensive to operate," Strausser said. "Last year, we had to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool Spa and Safety Act that mandated us to complete an approximate $85,000 drainage project to protect swimmers from disembowelment and entrapment. That was a lot of Community Development Block Grant funding to spend that could have been used elsewhere on the pool, but we had to comply with federal law."
Strausser pointed out that more than a million drain covers installed under the federal mandate have been recalled by the manufacturers and Consumer Product Safety Commission because they failed testing procedures that rate the covers. But he said all the drain covers in the Shamokin pool meet federal requirements and won't be recalled.
Ed Cuff, borough manager for Mount Carmel and manager for the Mount Carmel Borough Community Pool, is also hoping for a June 11 opening, but maintenance may prevent that from happening.
"We had to get the pool sandblasted and painted, but in order to do that, the pool has to be completely dry," Cuff said. "With all the rain we have been having, the pool fills up and we get delayed."
The manager said that the sandblasting has been completed, but now cracks have to be repaired and the pool painted before it can be filled and ready to open.
"We are shooting for June 11, but it looks like it will be sometime between June 11 and 15," Cuff said.
According to the manager, Mount Carmel's pool lost somewhere between $16,000 to $18,000 in 2010, one of its better years.
"We have really cut expenses in the past two years," Cuff said. "We've saved $20,000 looking at that, which is about the norm around the area. If there is a pool making any kind of money, have them give me a call."
He says that the annual passes, admission charges or food sales, covers the salaries of workers, but that's about it.
Cuff echoed Strausser's sentiment when he said that the idea of the pool was not to make money, but to provide a community service for the public.
When asked why the pool doesn't open for Memorial Day, Strausser said, "We have trouble getting enough staff that early in the season and it's expensive for the city to fill the pool and keep the filter clean for the next 10 days while the majority of the kids are still in school. This year, like last year, it was very hot for Memorial Day. But in the past, the weather hasn't been good to open the pool that early. It's just not worth it to open for Memorial Day."
Longtime Shamokin Councilman R. Craig Rhoades, who serves as director of parks and public buildings, said, "The pool is in great shape. It would be a shame to ever close it. I know the city isn't in good financial shape, but other than the pool, the community has little to offer its residents in the summer in terms of recreation. The pool is used hard until the late summer when students get more heavily involved in football and other fall sports and band activities. That's when the attendance tapers off."
Rhoades commended Strausser and his staff for doing a fine job every year.
The councilman described the pool as a "necessary evil." He stated, "Although we usually lose money operating it, the pool is well maintained and we need to keep it open for the citizens of Shamokin and the surrounding area."
The councilman said a two-mill increase in recreation tax implemented in 2010 helps fund pool operations and the gymnasium utilized by the Shamokin Youth Basketball League and adult groups in the American Legion building. He said one mill generates between $32,000 and $35,000.
Strausser said the pool employs approximately 25 people, including lifeguards and support staff. Applications are still being accepted for lifeguards. Strausser said the city is required by state law to have a certain number of lifeguards on duty regardless of the amount of people using the pool.
Admission at the pool, which will remain the same as 2010, is $6 for adults, $4 for children, and $3 for toddlers (ages 2 to 4). Children under two are free. Senior citizens will pay only $4, while spectators will be charged $3.
Individual season passes are $65 for adults and $55 for children who are residents of the city. Adults and children who are non-residents will pay $90 and $80, respectively, for season passes. Senior passes are $55 for city residents and $80 for non-residents.
The costs of family passes vary because they are based on the number of people per family and their ages.
For more information, call the Lawton W. Shroyer Memorial Swimming Pool at 644-4789.
In Mount Carmel, admission for the pool is $3 each for everyone aged three and over. Season passes are $50 for children, $80 for adults, and $150 for a family of four with $15 added for each extra child. The pool will be open from noon to 7 p.m. each day, seven days a week until approximately Labor Day.
For more information, call the borough office at 339-4486.