COLUMBUS, Ohio — On a summer day in Beechwood Trails, the neighborhood pool is the place to be.
The pool is run by volunteer board members and funded by membership fees, donations and sales.
In February, the terms of the board members were expiring, and a post to the pool’s Facebook post caught the quick attention of the community.
The board said if they didn’t get more volunteers to step up soon, the pool would not be able to open this summer.
“I was pretty sad,” 11-year-old Kennedy Dyer said.
Her older brother is a lifeguard at the pool, and for the two of them and many of their neighbors, it’s a beloved place to spend hot summer days.
“This is the place everyone comes to in the summer, so that would be ending a lot of memories for a lot of people,” said Clinton Dyer.
For this community, closing the pool was not an option.
That’s when Tanner Williams stepped in and accepted the responsibility of board president.
“My wife looked at me and said I take the boys there,” he said. “She takes our kids here every day in the summer and she said, 'I really need that pool to stay open.' I said, 'Alright.'"
Williams is a police officer by day, but this summer, he’s looking forward to serving the community in a different way. Four other board members stepped up to join him, ultimately saving the fate of the pool.
“We have had community members who are not board members come out. A guy with a landscaping company said, 'we are gonna come out and mulch and cut the grass,' a plumber who works for waterworks helped us fix our baby pool and replace the piping over there so it really has been a community effort to come together and open the pool this season,” Williams said.
The pool has been a neighborhood staple since the 1970s.
In 2019, it shut down for two years due to equipment failure and insufficient funds but reopened in 2021.
This time, the board is intent on keeping the pool running for years to come.
“The big thing is the community stepped up and we really appreciate that about our community and we hope they appreciate the work we are doing to keep the pool open,” Williams said.