SHADYSIDE - Citizens of Shadyside, circle your calendars and grab your swimming trunks.
The pool is going to open after all.
Opening day is slated for Friday, June 1 at noon.
It was reported last week that pool's opening date for this summer was in doubt.
Only three of the 150 summer pool passes needed to be sold were purchased at that point and the prospects of swimming in Shadyside this summer looked bleak.
Pool Manager Melanie Haswell was happy to report Friday that the pool will open.
However, she stressed the fate of the pool, at least moving forward, is still a bit cloudy.
"More passes have been sold and we got a message out to all of the school students," Haswell said. "We'll have a definite opening on June 1.
"But more passes need to be sold. I'm hoping it's steaming hot that Friday and people miss the pool and will show up and buy passes."
The pool will remain open this summer, Monday through Sunday from noon until 6 p.m, whether the remaining passes to reach 150 or sold or not.
But this summer's pass sales, which are down from last year's monumental effort to save the facility, is being examined.
Should pass sales falter and the village take a sizable loss on operations this summer, that will likely be factored into the decision whether or not to open in the summer of 2013.
It's a decision Haswell hopes doesn't have to be made.
"I'd hate to lose the pool," Haswell said. "Once it's gone, it's gone. Just look at Bellaire. They filled it in with concrete and it's gone. It's not coming back."
Passes are on sale at the mayor's office until 3 p.m. daily. They can also be purchased by stopping at either the middle school or high school and dropping of a payment to either Haswell or her husband, principal John Haswell at the high school.
The week of May 28 will find Haswell and her staff finishing up final preparations for opening day.
Since employees will be at the pool, passes may also be purchased at the gate.
Hughes may be reached at mhughes@timesleaderonline.com
