The Southgate Hayward Community Pool celebrated its 50^th Anniversary on Saturday thanks to a group of volunteers who banded together to keep it from closing.

Just a year ago, the community pool had infrastructure problems making it unusable, said Tracy Diaz, president of the Penguins Swim Club that uses the pool for practices and tournaments.

“All last year we came together and raised about $70,000,” she said. “We didn’t have a choice, a year before we had cracks in the pool, and we came to the conclusion, either it’s going to close or we’re going to try and remodel it all.”

Hayward City Councilmember Barbara Halliday joined the club in 1989. She reminisced about its past, saying plans to construct the pool in the 1960’s were originally started by a Santa Cruz surfer and Southgate homeowner, Clarice Roberts.

“I’m sorry she can’t be here to see this today,” said Halliday about Roberts who died several years before. She got herself elected chair to the Homeowners’ Association making her dream more feasible, said Halliday on the Southgate Community Pool website.

“Although many hurdles still awaited them,” Halliday wrote in the history. “The Committee forged ahead and managed to get the pool built, soliciting memberships from people who simply had to have faith that a swimming pool would be built and they would one day be able to swim.”

In February 1964 the completion of the pool brought together 200 family members and launched a safe place for the community, according to the history on the Southgate Community Pool website.

History repeated itself, as it took community efforts to refurbish the 50-year-old pool. However, this time around the project became more than rebuilding a pool, running into several unpredictable and unfortunate problems.

“We got a contractor who helped us and once everything was broken up he took off,” Diaz said.

The contractor they hired, lacked a contracting license, said John Sydow owner of Sydow Pool Service and Repair Inc. “About two months into the job the guy wasn’t doing enough work, and he was kind of doing it backwards,” he said.

The problems did not end there.

“A lot of people came in to do the work labor, they brought in their own tools and equipment, and he was taking the tools off the site and using them at other sites,” he added.

The man eventually brought back everything he borrowed, and the swim club did not lose money from the incident noted Sydow, who is a fully licensed contractor. Additionally, he said, they experienced an unrelated burglary, where someone took some pool supplies and sound systems.

However, despite these major setbacks, Diaz said, roughly 200 volunteers came to the rescue working around the clock to raise funds and do manual labor to finish the difficult project. Volunteers from all ages came to help out on the project, carrying buckets of dirt and digging trenches, said Chris Ramirez, vice president of the swim club.

“I was among the main dads who came down here, and we were working everyday after work, including the weekends,” said Ramirez. “So, the whole summer we were here together. It helped build a camaraderie between us dads.”

The swim club raised funds through private donations, sponsors, memberships and selling cement blocks dedicated to families who helped out in the process.

“We sold the squares, you see hand prints and foot prints,” said Ramirez, pointing to concrete strips. “And basically the theme is the footprints of the cement leading towards the pool are the children who led us back, and that’s what inspired a lot of us dads.”

Later, Sydow stepped in to help oversee the project at no additional cost to the swim club.

“We didn’t have any obstacles it was just a matter of time,” said Sydow, stoic and poised. “It wasn’t something that wasn’t going to get done in two months like a normal pool remodel.”

“And basically the theme is the footprints of the cement leading towards the pool are the children who led us back, and that’s what inspired a lot of us dads.”

Later, Sydow stepped in to help oversee the project at no additional cost to the swim club.

“We didn’t have any obstacles it was just a matter of time,” said Sydow, stoic and poised. “It wasn’t something that wasn’t going to get done in two months like a normal pool remodel.”

Sydow added his wife would often worry about his late nights in the Southgate community, and that they are not from that area of Hayward.

“In my mind it’s paying it forward,” he said, mentioning it was not about the money, but about giving back to the community. Diaz reiterated Sydow’s statement, saying the fundraising is important, and communities can learn from their story and fight for what they love.

Many members and people participating say the remodel brought the community closer.

“We get so close to everybody that both on the team and on the club; it’s another family,” said Brian Gantz, one of the volunteers for the project. He explained the pool is a safe environment for families to come and enjoy the new pool.