Public pools offer more than a spot to beat the heat
Public pools offer more than a spot to beat the heat
On a sweltering, humid Wednesday afternoon, Jan Maund – sporting a bright-pink swim top, floral swim pants, white visor and sunglasses – claimed a grassy parcel of lawn at Town Park Pool in Canonsburg.
She sat in a blue beach chair, soaking up the sun.
“I’ve been coming to Town Park since I was 10 years old,” said Maund, 67, a lifelong Canonsburg resident, as she surveyed the Olympic-sized pool with its iconic fountain that her husband, Jim, paints every year. “I would meet my friends here, and we’d have a great time. Then, when I had kids, I brought my children here, and now I bring my grandchildren. All three of my children became lifeguards, and my husband was a lifeguard here. We love it here.”
For thousands in Southwestern Pennsylvania, public swimming pools represent quintessential summer, providing a watery oasis for children, teens, families, and older adults.
Christina Hollandsworth, director of Town Park Pool, said municipal watering holes offer many benefits – among them, a chance to exercise and to make friends.
“There’s no better exercise for kids use up energy, and adults, too. There’s so much benefit, not only just being out in the sunlight, but the community pool offers a lot of socialization that people don’t get elsewhere,” said Hollingsworth. “A lot of times, friendships that are built down here tend to last.”
In Fayette County, the Franklin Township Community Pool, which boasts a long, winding double slide and water features, drew plenty of swimmers as temperatures hit the high 80s the week of June 8.
Sarah Harvey, Fayette County Director of Planning, Zoning and Community Development, agrees with Hollandsworth’s view that community swimming pools serve as gathering places where residents of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds can get together in a safe and welcoming environment.
“At a time when many communities are facing increasing concerns about public health, social isolation, and limited recreational opportunities, public pools provide benefits that extend far beyond recreation,” said Harvey. “Generations of residents learn to swim, celebrate milestones, spend time with family and friends, and experience the simple joys of summer at their local pool. These shared experiences strengthen community identity and create lasting connections among residents.”
Greene County operates two public swimming pools – the Greene County Water Park in Waynesburg and Mon View Pool in Greensboro – and Ryerson Station State Park Pool is within the county’s borders.
“I think the pools are an asset to our community, and we’re lucky in Greene County to have two public pools, plus Ryerson,” said Courtney Hursey, director of recreation for Greene County. “It seems like today, everybody has a pool or knows someone who has a pool, but with our lazy river and slides and other amenities, we have good attendance. Those features do attract people.”
The first municipal public swimming pool was opened in 1868 in Boston, Mass., as a place to socialize and escape the summer heat before the invention of air conditioning.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, public pool construction boomed, with more than 800 new pools built – including Town Park Pool, where construction began in 1934 – and more than 300 pools renovated by New Deal agencies to provide work for the unemployed.
But during the 1940s through 1960s, public pools began closing due to desegregation pressures, with many municipalities choosing to drain, pave over, or defund their public pools rather than integrate.
Today, about 309,000 public pools operate in the United States, but they’re becoming harder to find due to high maintenance and insurance costs, nationwide lifeguard shortages, and the rise of alternatives including residential backyard pools and gated community associations.
Washington Park Pool director DeAnna Martin said the Olympic-sized pool has been an important resource for the community Washington Park Pool since the original pool was built in 1921.
“My fear is that if we were ever to lose an amenity like that, you would never get a pool that size back. The pool is old and it always has little problems every year, but we take steps to make sure we keep it,” said Martin, noting that Peters Township and Trinity swim teams use the pool for training due to its size. “Once you lose something like, the way municipal budgets are today, you would never be able to replace it.”
Hollandsworth, too, said the borough is committed to maintaining its swimming pool.
“If you lose a pool, communities won’t replace it. It would be a massive undertaking to try to put one in now,” she said.
Public pools also are important because they provide accessible spaces for swim lessons – a life-saving skill.
In the U.S. drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, but formal swim lessons can reduce that risk by up to 88%, according to the United States Swim School Association.
“Public pools that offer swimming lessons and water safety play a critical role in public safety, helping children and adults develop skills that can prevent drowning and reduce water-related injuries,” said Harvey.
At Washington Park Pool, swimmers must be at least 16 years old to swim without adult supervision, while Town Park requires those 13 and under to be supervised.
“The public pool is a great outlet for teens. They’re not on their devices, they’re talking to other people, interacting with people, and you can’t replace that,” said Hollandsworth. “We have that age group of teens where they’re old enough that they want to be by themselves, but they have to learn how to behave in a social setting without a parent here, and we solve issues on a case-by-case basis. I know how important it is for kids to have a safe place to go. A lot of our kids walk or bike here; if they’re not allowed here, they can’t drive so I don’t know where else they would go.”
There are also mental health benefits from swimming, local pool directors say, noting studies that show swimming has been shown to improve mood and reduce feelings of depression.
For Donna Beacom of Canonsburg, public pools offer an affordable summer activity for her and her grandchildren.
She brings two of her grandchildren, Luca Sarbu, 8, and Ezra Sarbu, 6, of Mt. Lebanon, to Town Park Pool at least once or twice a week.
“They love it here,”said Beacom, whose attempts to round up her grandsons to leave the pool on a recent weekday were met with pleas to stay longer. “I got a pool membership three or four years ago – it’s about $200 for the three of us, which is cost-effective – and the lifeguards and staff do a great job here. I don’t see the point in having a private pool.”
Pools also create seasonal employment opportunities for lifeguards, concession workers, and maintenance staff, giving local youth valuable work experience and job skills, Harvey noted.
Renee Buckingham of Chartiers Township has been lap swimming at Town Park Pool for nearly 30 years, and often brought her two children.
“My kids kind of grew up here, and both became lifeguards,” said Buckingham, who who still enjoys swimming laps. “I love to swim. When I was growing up near Youngstown, Ohio, I’d go into the (public) pool as soon as it opened and I’d stay until it closed. My kids became good swimmers, too, although they don’t quite have my passion for it. When my son was 2 years old, he’d be jumping off the diving board here and all the big kids would watch him. He was inspirational, and there were kids who saw him jump off the board and it gave them the courage to do it.”
Martin said she has enjoyed getting to know the families and people who have become regulars at Washington Park Pool over the years.
“I came here in 2021, and from then until now, I’ve gotten to watch kiddos grow. I see people I grew up with bringing their kids, grandparents bringing their grandkids, older folks coming with friends,” said Martin. “We love our families. We love the people who come here. That’s the heartbeat of our pool.”