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Thompson Park pool set to open June 2nd

Teaming up, members of the building and construction class at East Liverpool High School carry the benches they made into the J. Burchfield Cartwright pool facility. (Photo by Jo Ann Bobby-Gilbert)

EAST LIVERPOOL — The J. Burchfield Cartwright municipal pool in Thompson Park will be operating again this season, thanks to the work of volunteers who have been readying it for the June 2 opening.

Former mayor Jim Swoger and his wife Amy took on the pool as their pet project 18 years ago, often dipping into their own pockets to make sure it opened each year for the area’s youth, with the former mayor often likening the Olympic-sized pool to local children’s Cedar Point, since many will never get to that iconic attraction.

In recent years, the Swogers have been joined by Rotary member Jeff Cartwright-Smith, who became involved as committee chairman of a Rotary capital campaign to refurbish the pool.

Also joining the effort has been Ed Adamson, instructor for the East Liverpool High School’s building and construction course and his students, who have reconditioned the wooden lounge chairs and benches around the pool.

This year, the class again became involved, building 13 new benches to set around the pool for visitors, as well as reconditioning two wood and metal benches.

The students were at the pool last week, helping move the new and reconditioned furniture into place and doing other tasks to get the pool ready for summer.

The Rotary paid for the materials, but the class donated all labor for the project, according to Cartwright-Smith, who said the Rotary also has purchased new toys for swimmers to use in the pool, including inner tubes and “noodle” chairs.

He said swimmers are asked not to bring their own toys to the pool, because the velocity of the pumps can suck smaller items into the system, where they act like rockets. He showed a metal filters that had been destroyed by a small ball that somehow got left in the pool and was pooled into the pumps.

Current Mayor Ryan Stovall and members of the city water department were also on hand this week, trying to ferret out a problem with the baby pool, which was not used last year due to a persistent leak that can’t be located.

Water workers poured a fluorescent green dye into the smaller pool, which Swoger said loses water overnight when filled for some reason. Stovall pledged that all efforts will be made to locate the problem and repair it so the kiddie pool.

The pool operates primarily from proceeds of admissions and the concession stand, but the city does budget a small amount for its operation, upping the usual $5,000 line item to $8,000 this year, for which Swoger expressed gratitude.

Nonetheless, the rising cost of operations has necessitated an increase in admission prices this year, the first time in many years.

One day admission has risen this year by $1 to $4 for adults (18 and older) and $3 per student, with those under 3 admitted free of charge.

An adult summer pass for those 18 and older is $50 and for students, $35. Family passes are available for $125 (two adults and up to three children) or $175 (up to six children), which allows the family to swim every day all summer.

The pool’s hours will remain 1-7 every day, with the facility closed two Saturdays during the summer for use by the Dolphins Swim Team meet, which will be announced.

Swoger said he “struggled” with having to raise prices but said they are still lower than other facilities he contacted.

Night swims, closings and other announcements about the pool operations can be found on its Facebook page at Thompson Park Pool.

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