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- The Wyo pool? 🏊‍♀️ Wyo Tot Lot?? 🛝 and Memorial Day 🇺🇸
The Wyo pool? 🏊‍♀️ Wyo Tot Lot?? 🛝 and Memorial Day 🇺🇸
Dr. Angela Adler
May 28, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
It was a mixed bag of a week for Wyomissing Recreation. The success of the Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Celebration contrasted with the disappointments around the delayed opening of the Wyomissing pool and the sudden change in Tot Lot eligibility.
The Wyomissing pool
The Wyomissing pool was supposed to open for Memorial Day weekend. However, due to a combination of renovations and rain in April and May, the Wyo pool opening day was delayed. The new opening date for the pool is June 8, 2024.
The Wyomissing Borough Council and Finance Committee are exploring the possibility of reimbursing pool members for the number of days the pool was unexpectedly closed.
Angela adds…
In the Wyo Rec Board meeting, it was mentioned that Wyomissing might try to open the pool before June 8th.
For the Wyo pool to open, certain things need to happen - the water needs to be in the pool for a certain amount of time, etc. As of now, the Wyo pool does have water in it.
My impression: the borough may be trying to underpromise and overdeliver - saying the pool will open June 8th when it may open sooner. Of course, there’s no guarantee. If it works, hooray! 🎉 Either way, we’ll see what happens.
For more details on the Wyo pool opening delay:
Video: May 21 Rec Board Meeting via Real Wyomissing Borough
(Note: video link is cued to pertinent moment in the meeting.)
A good portion of the May 21st Rec Board meeting was devoted to discussing changes to Wyomissing Tot Lot.
A bit of background: since 2007, there has been a law in effect in Pennsylvania that regulates what is required of programs that admit young children who haven’t completed kindergarten or are younger than 6 years old to attend without a guardian. Playground programs, in general, don’t make the cut.
PA House Bill 1746, which would amend this law to protect programs like Tot Lot, was recommitted to Appropriations last December.
It was shared in the meeting that last year, Sinking Spring’s playground program was found to be in violation of this law, and they subsequently altered their programming to exclude children who haven’t completed kindergarten.
A few days before the May 21st Rec Board meeting, Wyo Recreation had to similarly alter Tot Lot eligibility, resulting in the families of young children already registered for Tot Lot being informed that their preschool-age children could not attend.
Angela adds…
First of all, Team Tot Lot! I attended for years in the early 90s.
It was unclear the number of children registered for Tot Lot became ineligible. Rec Director Randy McKinley stated in the meeting he made 87 phone calls to families. Here’s hoping some of those were to multiple guardians of the same kid….
Parents of some children who lost their Tot Lot eligibility came to the Rec Board meeting seeking solutions. No solutions were offered. Efforts of Rec Board members to discuss potential solutions during the meeting were unheeded and dismissed.
For more details on the Tot Lot eligibility changes:
Video: May 21st Rec Board Meeting via Real Wyomissing Borough
(Note: video link is cued to pertinent moment in the meeting.)
Wyomissing Memorial Day
Wyomissing Recreation also had a great turnout for the Memorial Day observances in Wyomissing Hills. Among those gathered were 30 World War II veterans, including parade grand marshall and 99-year-old Navy WWII vet CPO Matt Gutman.
For photos from the day’s events, see the links to Wyo Parks & Rec Facebook below.
