James Rada, Jr.
Eliza Phillips took one last look around the Emmitsburg pool on May 26, 2018, and then climbed onto her lifeguard stand and blew her whistle to signal the new Emmitsburg pool was open. Her father, Hamblin, was the first person to jump in.
“The water’s not even cold,” he smiled. “This is nice.”
He explained that the water used to be cold because there was always a hose running into it to keep it filled since the old pool constantly leaked.
He was soon joined by adults and children who waded in from the shallow end or jumped off the diving board. Summer had arrived.
The Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners had decided last year to replace the pool after a pressure test showed that it could not be repaired. Also, the beams beneath the pool were damaged and needed to be replaced. Over the pool’s forty-five-year life, no significant work had been done on it. Because of the work being done to restore the pool, it was not open last year.
Although the new pool’s official grand opening was June 2, it actually opened for use on May 26.
Besides a new pool, the pool house has a fresh coat of paint and the pavilion was treated to remove the bees. The parking lot was repaved and repainted. The new pool’s depths range from one foot to ten feet. The new pool is expected to be less expensive to run, primarily because water and chemicals won’t be leaking from the pool.
“I’m impressed with the parking lot,” Phillips commented. “You used to come close to bottoming out your car.”
RSV Pools is managing the pool. The company is also introducing its SWIMSAFE Program, designed to help identify unsupervised “non-swimmers.”
This year marks Eliza’s third year working at a pool. She began her first year as a gate guard for the Emmitsburg pool. This is her first year as a lifeguard. Eliza said that compared to her first year at the Emmitsburg pool, the new pool looks cleaner and won’t have as many issues.
“This is so much nicer than other pools,” Eliza said.
The pool will be open through Labor Day, noon until 7:00 p.m.
For more information, please call the Town of Emmitsburg at 301-600-6303 or email anaill@emmitsburgmd.gov.
