PORTIA WILLIAMS
PDT Staff Writer
WHEELERSBURG — As the weather continues to yield increasing temperatures, patronage of Porter Township Community Pool has seen in increase as well. On Monday, many children as well as adults came to the pool seeking refuge from the heat.
“We have seen a big increase. I would definitely say it is due to the hot weather, we’ve seen more people come from out of town, which I am sure is because of so many other pool closings. Also, with the power outages, many people are coming just to give themselves something to do,” said Gary Bailey, the pool manager.
While the patron numbers rise, the pool experienced some adversity from Friday’s storm, being forced to close on Saturday due to the loss of electricity and damage left behind from the turbulent winds of the storm.
“The pool was closed on Saturday. The wind was so strong it blew sand, leaves and the trash cans into the pool. There were tree limbs, sand, and a lot of trash in the pool. We started working from 8 a.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. on Sunday to get things back in place. The electricity didn’t come back on until around 2 p.m. on Saturday,” Bailey said.
Bailey also said that he, along with other pool staff, worked to remove the debris from the pool, put the trash receptacles back in place and to drain the infant pool, which was loaded with debris.
The storm also did damage to the pool fence, which was repaired by the Township. Bailey said that it took an estimated 30 hours of labor to restore the pool in order to reopen on Monday.
Portia Williams may reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 234 or portiawilliams@heartlandpublications.com




















