Submitted photo

The Porter Township Community Pool opens at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, immediately following the township Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony.

slideshow

By RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY

PDT Staff Writer

WHEELERSBURG — The Porter Township Community Pool will open its doors for the summer season beginning Saturday. The pool is one of only two remaining community pools in Scioto County this year.

The pool will open at 1 p.m. Saturday, immediately after the Porter Township Memorial Day Parade and Celebration. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and ends at Porter Township Community Park, next to the pool.

Formerly Tan Lan Pool in Wheelersburg, the Porter Township Trustees assumed control of the pool in 2003. Trustee Jeff Rase said the Porter Township Community Pool made many upgrades last year, such as a new diving board and new umbrella shades at the pool, and even more upgrades this year.

“We’ve put a new state-of the-art-shelter, like a canopy that you’d see in bigger city parks. We’ve upgraded our building facilities and given it a face-lift with a paint job and poured some concrete. We’ve just done a lot of upgrades,” Rase said.

The pool is non-profit, and all the money raised through ticket sales goes back into the pool facilities. Ticket sales are often predicted by last year’s summer weather, Rase said. Two years ago we had bad summer weather, so season membership last year was way down. But the summer weather wasn’t bad last year afterall, so daily ticket sales soared. Since last year’s summer was hot and sunny, Rase expects very good season membership sales this year.

“But we’re not in the business to make money. We’re here to serve the public,” Rase said.

The pool offers other draws, such as Swim Dance Nights, party rentals, basketball and volleyball courts.

“Parents feel safe, because we do provide trained, certified lifeguards. So they can enjoy the park and relax when they have their kids there. It’s safe, it’s clean, it’s state-of-the-art, and our community seems to embrace those things so we are very fortunate,” Rase said.

With Clay Township choosing not to open its community pool this year because of financial difficulties, Porter Township Community Pool in Wheelersburg and McKinley Pool in Portsmouth are now the only two remaining public pools in Scioto County.

More information about the pool, and an application for season membership, can be found online at www.portertwp.com.

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.