Vandergrift Pool remains closed for repairs; reopening expected in July
Poolgoers hoping to cool off at a popular summer swimming destination in Allegheny Township will have to be patient.
The Vandergrift Pool, officially named the Joseph A. Petrarca Memorial Pool, remains empty and closed.
The pool at 1639 La Belle Vue Road has not opened for the season because of repairs needed on the concrete around its perimeter, according to borough Secretary Steve DelleDonne.
The board announced on social media in late May that “unforeseen circumstances” had delayed the opening.
The work, dubbed the Vandergrift Pool Rejuvenation Project, is underway but behind schedule because of weather-related issues and delays with contractor scheduling.
Crews from KGD Contracting were on-site Wednesday, making repairs, but declined to provide specifics on the renovations.
The borough is working with KGD and pool liner company RenoSys. RenoSys tentatively is scheduled to reattach the liner to the edge around the perimeter of the pool on June 26.
Borough officials remain hopeful the pool can reopen during the first week of July. They did not provide a reopening date during Monday’s meeting.
RenoSys is the last piece of the puzzle in getting things back together, borough officials said.
DelleDonne said Tuesday that the pool liner is not leaking.
RenoSys, headquartered in Indianapolis, is a commercial pool renovation and construction company offering products and services designed specifically for public pools.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Daisha Clayton did not mince words when expressing frustration with ongoing scheduling delays.
“Are we just accepting that June 26? Does that work for us? Or do we put up a stink? Because I’m more than willing to get on the phone and put up a stink,” Clayton said.
Clayton, a former Vandergrift Pool manager, said she knows from experience the amount of money being lost each day the pool remains shuttered.
“That’s thousands of dollars, not to mention the community is in an uproar,” Clayton said Monday.
Councilman John Uskuraitis said RenoSys has not been responsive to repeated requests by officials to pin down a date to complete the repairs.
“We basically went four weeks without — it was like radio silence from them,” Uskuraitis said.
Officials estimate RenoSys will need a week or less , once they begin, to finish repairs and reattach the pool liner.
After that, filling the pool with water is expected to take about three days.
Bove noted that below-freezing overnight temperatures prevented KGD from starting its previously scheduled concrete work until May 25. KGD has 30 days to complete the work.
Bove said KGD recommended the entire pool area be addressed to prevent further issues between the pool liner and the cement.
A new pool liner was installed in 2021 and paid for by a $165,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
Councilman Tom Holmes noted the project is weather dependent, but he remains hopeful it will not be delayed further.
“If we get three or five days in a row of rain, that could set us back,” he said. “But we’ll fix it. We’ve done the whole thing, so, hopefully, we won’t have this problem again.”
The pool is owned by the borough and operates under its own budget. Council did not address refunds or prorating memberships during the meeting.
The pool’s extended closing status has resulted in a rush of business at nearby Leechburg Area Pool in Gilpin.
Steve Senjan, a Leechburg Area Pool volunteer and its board treasurer, said daily pool attendance has increased by about 50%.
The two pools are 6 miles apart.
“So far, sales are half of the entire season of 2022, and we’ve only been open eight days this year,” Senjan said. “We’ve seen a significant uptick in business.”
Vandergrift Pool patrons with party rentals booked for June will be notified by officials via email with details about refunding deposits.
DelleDonne said Tuesday that individuals with 2023 pool memberships who are requesting a refund should call the borough office at 724-567-7818.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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