Chapter 16

All the major construction was done by May first. There were still a few odds and ends and some finishing work to be taken care of before opening but the water slide and diving boards were in place so we were done enough to start filling the pools and let the warm sunshine do its thing.

If Ginger hadn't been there to show me the ropes, I don't think I could have gotten everything done in time. I asked her why she hadn't applied for the job since she was the obvious first choice. She told me she'd been asked but that she wanted to try other things for a change. My good luck!

The flower gardens in the parking lot were starting to bloom and the place looked just awesome. There was an eight-foot high stone wall erected between the park and Rose Ann's lawn to give her a little privacy and to cut down on the noise level. A carved wooden sign to put up out front was being made somewhere but that was Rose Ann's personal project. The entire park, with the exception of the stone wall and the parking lot was surrounded by an eight-foot chain-link fence. The natural stone bathhouse was split in the middle between the men's and women's locker rooms by a covered walkway containing the concession stand and the booth where you paid your money and got your hand stamped.

As soon as the water was warm enough, I started swimming laps to get into shape. On the first day, I was barely able to complete ten laps; that's how out of condition I was. I figured it would take at least two months to get back to where I should be but I wasn't in any hurry. It felt great just be back in the water again.

After the lifeguards were hired, we spent a few days getting everyone up to speed on their CPR and rescue techniques. I thought we had a pretty good crop of kids because most of them had worked for Ginger for a year or so. She helped me put them through their paces and set their work schedules.

So! It was about to happen. A casual suggestion that we needed a new swimming pool was a reality now. A lot of people had poured a lot of time, effort and money into making it happen. It goes without saying that it was the most amazing year of my life and I wouldn't have traded any of it for anything. Well, maybe we could leave out the part about the broken pelvis and two months in a body cast.

Memorial Day at noon, the parking lot is full and a large crown is standing in front of the entrance waiting for the official opening. The temperature is in the lower eighties and the sun is shining; a perfect day to spend an afternoon at the pool. The Board has put out an announcement in the paper that opening day is a free day.

A wide aqua colored ribbon stretches across the opening waiting for the Mayor cut it after making a few obligatory remarks. The ceremony isn't exactly what Rose Ann and the Board envisioned but it turns out to be very funny and very appropriate. Fenstermacher is standing there with a giant pair of scissors in his hands and issuing words to the effect that Rose Ann Hightower and the Board members played an important role in helping him and the city see the project to completion. The butt has never passed up an opportunity to hint that he was somehow a prime mover in this addition to the community.

Unfortunately for the Mayor, old Mr. Weld is standing at the front of the crowd and shaking his head as he listens to the guy blatantly try to steal the thunder. Finally, he can take no more and shuffles up to the Mayor and snatches the scissors out of his hands.