BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Regular springtime preparations for the New River Pool are currently underway despite no definitive or official confirmation having yet been given as to the operational status of the pool for the upcoming 2023 summer season.
The pool situation has occupied the minds of many Beckley residents in recent weeks, with some viewing the potential continued closure of the facility as problematic on a community level.
Nonetheless, City of Beckley Public Works members could be observed Tuesday afternoon conducting what appeared to be maintenance to the still empty Sharon Dempsey (New River) Pool.
“We are moving forward with seeing the viability of the pool and all of its functions while we’re also exploring all the different employment options,” City of Beckley Parks & Recreation Director Leslie Baker tells LOOTPRESS.
Baker points out that this is a process that must occur early on, in spite of the ongoing issues being faced regarding the recruitment of individuals to staff the pool. This, she says, is to allow for the discovery and addressing of issues such as cracks and leaks ahead of time.
Regarding the ongoing search for a pool manager. Baker says that the City continues to have limited success.
“We’re not being very successful with that. I have interviewed a couple of people,” she says. “I still feel very strongly that we have to move forward with a pool manager that has management experience, maturity, and a lifeguard [certification] so we can operate under the most rigid safety standards.”
Baker also disclosed that the city was in talks to work in collaboration with the YMCA with regard to the pool situation, but that things have since moved in another direction.
We had had a very optimistic discussion with the YMCA and we worked toward that. But the YMCA is now going to do some programming for us. They have their own operations.”
LOOTPRESS will continue to follow the operational status of the New River Pool.
