Staff photo / Bob Coupland Hubbard swimmers, from left, Dominic Panozzo, Olivia Benson and Isabella Summers try the new diving boards at the Hubbard Community Pool.

HUBBARD — The Hubbard Community Pool, used by various swim teams and the public, has received several donations to get six new diving blocks.

Adrienne Poullas, pool director, said the six new diving blocks are used during races ore in practice. She said a fundraising effort was held starting in 2021 and $18,200 was raised from donors over 18 months to pay for the starting blocks.

Local businesses and families also contributed as sponsors to help cover costs.

Poullas said the blocks were more than 20 years old and could not be used because of their unrepairable condition.

She said the pool is used by swim teams from Hubbard, Liberty, Girard, Brookfield, Lakeview and McDonald high schools. These districts do not have pools at their schools.

“We have so many teams here and host swim meets, and the diving blocks we had were becoming unsafe to use,” Poullas said.

She said because of the condition of the old blocks, only certain swim lanes could be used for meets to keep swimmers safe. The new blocks are secured by anchors. “We host more than 10 meets here a year, so all the swim teams from the tri-county area will benefit by getting to use the new diving blocks,” Poullas said.

An inaugural dive-off-the-blocks was held this week by six swimmers who regularly use the pool.

Hubbard has a high school swim team and also a Kraken Club swim team.

Olivia Benson of Liberty, a Liberty High School graduate who swims at the pool, said she has been swimming there since age 9.

“It is nice we have new blocks. They help you have a better dive,’ Benson said.

Cooper Silvestri, a seventh-grader at Hubbard Middle School, said the swim blocks help the swimmer have a better send-off when diving.

Hubbard Board of Education member Anna Martin said the board is proud of the swim program and the swim staff and all the work it does.

“We are thankful for the donors and others who helped make this a reality.” she said.

Hubbard schools Superintendent Raymond Soloman said: “I appreciate the community’s generosity to make this possible. If it wasn’t for the donors, we would not have this.”

Hubbard Councilwoman Cathy Cummings said she remembers back in the 1970s being one of the first classes at Hubbard schools to swim at the new pool.

“This provides recreation for our students and the community,” she said

Poullas said the fundraising campaign was a way to help raise funds after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the pool in 2020.

Business owners who donated $3,000 for a full diving block or $1,500 to pay for half a block took part in the inaugural dive. They chose a swimmer to represent them.

Platinum donors of $3,000 are Kilar Fabrication, Julianne Carsone family, and Hubbard High School Athletics. Gold donors of $1,500 include Braydich Dental, Youthology Medspa, Straightline Interiors, Artasia Framing and More, and Kraken Swimming Booster Club

There were also 15 individuals who donated $100 to also help make the purchase of new diving blocks possible.

Poullas said the pool also applied for and received a $7,500 Learn to Swim grant from USA Swim for swim lessons to special needs students. The children will receive eight half-hour instruction lessons.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com