Poplar Point Camp pool in need of repairs
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Fundraising efforts underway to keep pool open for community use
A group visiting Poplar Point Camp many years ago enjoys using the pool. Photo submitted
A group of volunteers working to paint and patch the camp’s commercial swimming pool about seven years ago. Photo submitted
A group of children enjoying time at Poplar Point Camp’s swimming pool, which unfortunately had to close early this year. Photo submitted
Special to the News
There are many rites of summer for kids and adults alike. In Coosa County some of our favorite summer activities include getting out on one of our many lakes, running to the Blue Bell factory for ice cream or maybe trying something new to keep cool from our heat and humidity.
For many of us, we got to swim at the pool at Poplar Point Camp. Unfortunately, this year the camp was able to host a lot less pool rental groups, and part of this is because the pool is beginning to show its age and was shut down earlier than normal.
The swimming pool at Poplar Point Christian Camp was built in 1985 and has never been completely resurfaced. The type of commercial pool that is at the camp is one that typically needs to be resurfaced every 25-30 years.
Through many countless hours, the camp staff and volunteers over the years have done patch jobs and worked to keep the pool working and looking good.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic the camp board was setting aside a reserve fund that was growing in the knowledge that soon the pool could not simply be patched back together, but would need a proper resurfacing.
However, because of the lost revenue during the last few years, that fund was instead used to keep the camp out of debt. Then this summer a large chunk of the surface broke off and is not something that can simply be patched back over. The pool needs to be fully and properly repaired.
The camp staff and board of directors work hard to keep the prices as low as possible for everyone to attend camp, and as a result of this and the lost income from the pandemic, the camp does not currently have the income to be able to pay for the repairs out of its own budget.
Thus, the camp is putting on a couple of fundraising activities to fix up the pool, fundraisers that they would love everyone to support.
First, every Monday during the month of October the camp will be hosting a donation-based dinner. Interested individuals can check the camp’s Facebook and Instagram pages to see what the menu will include. The hours will be 4:30 to 7 p.m. with both sit down and take out available.
Second, the camp will host its annual Winter Fest event the first Saturday in December. As in the past it will take place indoors with vendors, free hayrides, baked goods, a chili cook-off, pre-ordered BBQ butts, and silent auction. And of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in attendance.
Additional fundraisers are also in the work for the next few months to help raise funds for the repair of the pool.
Please consider helping the camp perform the necessary upgrades to the pool to keep the commercial pool open and available for youth all over Coosa County to enjoy.
You can mail a donation directly to the camp at 191 Poplar Point Camp, Rockford, Alabama 35136, marked “Pool repair.” Additionally, there is a place to donate on the website or find out more about the camp at https://poplarpointcamp.com.