JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — The Patton Park and Pool has been around for decades in Cambria County.
The pool closed down during the summer of 2017 due to a lack of funding, staffing, and community support.
Raymond Keith and some other Patton residents wanted to change that.
So, they formed a write-in campaign for the November 2019 election with one platform: to save the Patton Pool.
"Our goal was to get on council, get the park commission restated, and get this park back to the way it looks today," said Raymond Keith, Vice President of the Patton Borough Council.
They campaigned door to door, delivering cards reading "we will save the Patton Pool."
They won.
"And this is the result," Keith said. "We're open."
He says the borough council spent about $25,000 on renovations, including a new pool house roof, pool lining, diving boards, slides, and park updates within their tennis and basketball courts.
Patton Resident Tyler Holtz, along with his child Kyler, came to the pool on opening day.
"Having this is huge. It's somewhere where all my kids can come and see their friends and have a place to be kids," Holtz said.
Jill Sunseri, the Patton Pool Manager, said the community was very involved in helping the pool start up again.
She also says that this is an exciting time for local kids, who have been in their homes for months during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the CDC, there's no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to people through the water used in pools.
It's the virus living on surfaces, and that pools likely increase the chances of people gathering in close quarters, the CDC states.
"Everybody brings their own towels and chairs, so we don't have to worry about sanitizing all that. They can social distance here. There's plenty of room," Sunseri said.
Pool hours are every day from noon until 6pm.
Sunseri said hours will be extended later in the summer.
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