American Pool Restores Facility for the Boys and Girls Club

Three American Pool chapters recently collaborated to help restore a swimming pool at a New Jersey Boys and Girls Club.

The club, located in Monmouth County’s Asbury Park, is a fixture for after-school activities; for many, it’s a home away from home. For years, the swimming pool was the most popular amenity, especially considering the facility’s location just two miles from the beach.

“As Asbury Park is a shore town, it’s really important for kids that are growing up with the ocean right at their doorstepto be able to swim. And I think even more so in under resourced communities like Asbury,” explains Doug Eagles, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County. “You have kids that are oftentimes just not exposed to swimming, exposed to the water lifestyle, and so having a pool available to provide them with those skill sets ultimately saves lives.”

The club resides in a historic 70-year-old building that was once home to the then-named Kiwanis Boys Club, established in 1938. While the club has been fortunate to have had the support of dedicated volunteers to keep the facility functioning, the building and facilities were in need of additional support.

“The Boys and Girls Club has been doing a great job keeping the place together and is a vital part of the community while operating on a shoestring budget,” says Mitch Friedlander, CEO of American Leisure. “The pool area has been band-aided for years.”

That’s where the American Pool team jumped in. In one short week, American Pool of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania completed the renovation, and the facility is now back up and running. Together, the team donated more than 500 hours of skilled labor and $65,000 in materials and supplies.

The renovation included a full facility cleaning, tile repair, expansion joint replacement, resolution of structural leaks, a painted interior, the installation of an automated chemical controller and replacement of the facility’s antiquated 1970s filters with a brand new commercial filtration system.

The renovations won’t stop there. With the help of leading developer, iStar, Asbury Park not only gets to experience a new pool, but a soon-to-be-redesigned club featuring a new three-story building adjacent to the existing structure.

In addition to American Pool, at least 10 other companies donated their services to make this new center a reality for the Asbury Park community.

Take a look at the slideshow below to see the renovation from start to finish.