WEIRTON - The summer season usually brings with it increased outings to pools and other outdoor activities; however, the swim season at Starvaggi Pool took a dive due to hot weather.
Park Board Director Terry Weigel said the Park Board was expecting the numbers at the Starvaggi Memorial Pool to be high this year with such great weather. He said that was not the case which he suspected was a direct result of it being too hot outside.
Weigel said there were many days when temperatures were over 90 degrees and the figures reflected accordingly.
Article Photos
ATTENDANCE FALLS — Some residents made use of the Starvaggi Pool during a summer day. Weirton Park Board officials said attendance at the pool fell this year, attributing the decline to this summer’s excessive heat. -- File photo
"We sold $15,240 in day passes this year as opposed to approximately $22,000 last year," he said.
Weigel said it is hard to believe there is such a difference in the use of the pool but reported that memberships were also down. He said there were 550 summer passes sold last year compared to just 300 this year. He said because it was so nice out, he and other board members thought it would have been a booming year.
"This is a tell tale sign," said Park Board member Ed Bowman. "This is a dramatic loss over the course of just one year."
Bowman said these are the kinds of statistics he looks at when considering how the Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool would fare should it become operational again. He said more residents have swimming pools at home so they don't use public pools and times are different.
Bowman said young people today aren't doing the same things he and others did. He said he remembered attending dances at the Millsop Community Center and spending his summers at the pool which, according to the figures, he said is not the case today.
There were no changes in the price of attendance and Weigel pointed out there has been a trend over the last few years outlining a decrease in the use of the public pool.
(Dickson can be contacted at adickson@weirtondailytimes.com)
