Pool truckload sale fundraiser a big success
The Walmart Truckload Sale to benefit the Reynoldsville Pool held on July 10 and 11 at Jeff Tech was a big success according to pool spokesman Jack Matusky.
The sale was the brainstorm of Matusky’s wife, Barbara, who contacted Walmart about the pool’s needs. Once approved, Walmart donated six tractor-trailer loads of merchandise. That’s 22 pallets of Walmart items per truck.
Jeff Tech Director Barry Fillman provided the location, the Jeff Tech gymnasium, and help from the school’s CDL licensing program.
Two weeks prior to the sale, the trucks arrived and had to be unloaded, but there was plenty of help.
“We probably had, in those two days of setting up, I would guess between 60 to 80 volunteers from all around, from surrounding communities as well as Reynoldsville, of course, that helped us put it all together,” Matusky said.
Once the sale got rolling, it was packed and almost everything was sold, with people bidding on the remaining items Sunday afternoon. The winning bid totaled one thousand dollars.
The final total for the fundraiser came in at $78,500 dollars, which will be added to other monies including a $173,765 state grant.
The pool, however, is 54 years-old and needs major repairs. Matusky estimated the cost of those repairs could reach more than $400,000.
“For the past ten years we’ve been just patching, you know, because of the lack of money.”
There are three priority repairs, Matusky said. First and foremost is to find and repair a “significant leak.”
“We’re losing several thousand gallons of water a day,” he said.
The other two priorities include reinforcing the pool wall and re-coating the interior. Other projects, including a bathroom renovation and office extension, could also take place if the money is available.
Work should begin once the pool closes at the end of August and last during the fall. It will resume in the spring, but Matusky is confident the pool will re-open on time.
Another fundraiser, the annual ATV ride, is planned for August 14 at Rathmel Run with registration beginning at 9 a.m.
