Don’t count on taking a dip in the Prospect Pool in Altoona this coming summer. There is a growing list of issues that appear to put the future of the pool in doubt…. difficulty in hiring lifeguards is just one of them. Other issues involve mainenance costs, and some costly improvements that appear to be necessary. Mid April is the deadline for the Central Blair Recreation & Park Commission and City Council to make a final decisioin on whether to open the pool this year… or maybe even to ever open it again. Other alternatives are being considered. They include a total renovation, which could add up to about $1.5-million. Another idea being floated is a new pool on a larger site. As for the lifeguard problem… while the commission has been advertising for lifeguards for about a month and a half so far, they have received just one application. That won’t cut it, because they need at least 7 to 9 lifeguards on hand to begin operations on their mid-June target date. They say hiring lifeguards has been a real problem for a long time, but it is now harder than ever because of certification requirements… and this year, concerns about COVID-19. The low pay is also a deterrent… just $7.75 an hour.