As recently as just a couple of weeks ago, there were still a lot of doubts, but now we have been told that the Prosptct Pool in Altoona will reopen this year. One of the biggest stumbling blocks was getting enough lifeguards to staff it, but the Altoona Area School District and a local business got together to get commitments from enough potential lifeguards to move forward. Just a few weeks ago, there was only one applicant… mainly due to the fact that potential lifeguards could make more money just about anywhere else. The pay was low. But now, the Altoona Area School District will run certification classes at its high school pool and the unnamed company will pay for those certifications. That in turn, means lifeguard wages can go from $7.75 to $10 per hour, making Prospect Park Pool more competitive with other area pools. Council on Monday also allocated $5,000 from the Goodman Trust recreation fund for the maintenance work at Prospect.
