Cortland Standard .net

By TYRONE L. HEPPARD
Staff Reporter
theppard@cortlandstandardnews.net
Last minute fixes have been made and staff are ready to open Wickwire pool for the summer on Saturday, Cortland Youth Bureau Executive Director John McNerney said Monday.
McNerney said park maintenance staff have spent the last few weeks making quick fixes to ensure the pool is ready for guests.
“We had to do some patch repair to the shell of the pool,” McNerney said. “We’ve got that all corrected. We’ve had people in a month or so ago ... so we should be on track to open.”
McNerney said the Youth Bureau has hired the necessary staff to get through swim season and some of the lifeguards have been hard at work preparing the pool for visitors.
“Everybody’s hired and set to go,” McNerney said. “They’re just doing some cleaning and pressure washing the deck and skimming the pool.”
This year will be the final year residents will have an opportunity to swim in the Wickwire Pool as they have remembered it for the last 60 plus years.
Plans are nearly finalized for the pool to undergo a nearly $1 million upgrade that will introduce a new pool to the community. The city and the Youth Bureau hope this facility will be more inclusive by making it more accessible to kids of all ages and people with disabilities. Officials hope the pool is ready in time for next summer.
Plans are being finalized, but McNerney said he plans to give residents a sneak peak at how the new Wickwire Pool will look during his presentation to the Common Council at its regular meeting this evening.
“They’ll be able to see pictures and see what it looks like,” McNerney said. “I think most people that see it (preliminary designs) for the first time like the plan and the direction we’re heading in.”
He added that although plans are still under review by the county Health Department and the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, he does not anticipate any major problems. Construction on the new pool is slated to begin after the swim season.
As far as this year is concerned, McNerney said the Red Cross Learn-to-Swim program will be offered in July and the Wickwire Instructional Swim Lessons will be offered in July and August.
McNerney said he wants to let residents know registration for these classes can now be done online through the Youth Bureau’s website.
McNerney added he and staff are excited for the changes in store for the community pool but right now, they are expecting a fun but busy summer.
“We anticipate accommodating a lot of camps and a lot of swimmers,” McNerney said.
Residents can visit the Youth Bureau’s website at cortlandyb.recdesk.com. for more information on the swim classes at the Wickwire Pool or other summer programs the Youth Bureau is offering this year.