HONESDALE, Pa. — The sounds of summer fill the air. Kids splashing and jumping into the Honesdale Borough Pool.
The kids say they look forward to spending their days here.
Violet Bogar of Forest City says, "Sometimes we think we get bored of it but we still love it."
"You're allowed to do front flips underneath the water. That's the best part," Avrianna O'Malley of Honesdale tells Newswatch 16.
Most of these kids are part of the Wayne County YMCA Day Camp.
Joshua Hoch is the Camp Director and says the partnership between the Y and Honesdale Borough gives these kids a proper summertime activity.
"We're here every day. We try to stay cool in the water. sometimes we're at the river but most of the time we try to stay here at the pool and the kids love it," says Hoch.
Last year, Honesdale borough officials had concerns about whether they would have enough lifeguards to cover all shifts, so they raised the hourly wage for lifeguards and gave a sign-on bonus.
"A lot of our guards did a really great job of recruiting so we have about 8 or 9 guards this year and still have some people calling and asking if we have positions available, which we do," says Honesdale Borough Pool Manager, Dana Pratt.
Pool manager Dana Pratt says having enough lifeguards has allowed them to provide the community with a consistent schedule for when the pool is open. They've also brought back swimming lessons in the morning--something that hasn't been done in several years.
"We've been able to open longer hours this summer which compared to last year we had shorter hours. Every year we're able to provide more and more to the community."
The Honesdale Borough Pool is open daily and is $5 per person for borough residents. There is also a Community Day planned for this Saturday at the pool, weather permitting.