Pools working to stay open during pandemic

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SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Arlington Heights Swim Club, a family-fun community pool in South Bend that’s been around since 1963, feared that last summer was going to be their last due to financial issues.

“This past summer we thought was going to be our last summer just because of the debt that we had but thanks to the save Arlington and the group that put that together for us, obviously along with the help from our members and the new members that came out, we’ve done really well,” Arlington Manager Brett Maurer.

When the coronavirus hit, they questioned whether or not it was a good decision to open the pool.

However with very few community pools open for the summer, Arlington Manager, Brett Maurer said that this was an opportunity to prove that pools can be safe during an unprecedented time.

“We had very big hesitations when this all first started but now that we’ve been doing it and we’ve seen how well we can manage it and all the members cooperating, it’s been a really great summer for us and it’s great to see all these families back here,” Maurer said.

To keep members safe, strict precautionary measures have been put in place.

“We opened with very strict protocol about how many people were inside the fence, chairs, cleaning, obviously we have new uniform regulation from the guards they have to wear a mask when they’re not actually guarding in the chair,” Maurer said.

This summer, the pool noticing positive changes with a higher increase in memberships.

“Business is actually been fantastic! Our membership total last year was I think around 106 to 109, this year we are in the high 130's low 140's,” Maurer said.

Maurer said that Arlington pool is very special to not only himself, but to the members, and amid the pandemic, that he’s happy to see folks safely enjoying some fun in the sun.

“It’s just been very refreshing to see this many new young people coming to use the pool, young families, young kids, and it really assures me about what the future of this pools going to be,” Maurer said. “I mean it’s really just been great for me to see just the pool kind of come back to life this year, especially with their being a pandemic”

If you’re on the hunt for a spot to cool off during these hot summer days, Arlington pool is still accepting memberships!

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