In the heat of the summer, a Westfield, Mass., pool builder made a difference in their community that lacks a public swimming pool.
Pioneer Valley Fiberglass Pools and Spas prides itself on their “pool park,” a stunning outdoor showroom of six fully functional fiberglass pools, designed to give customers a more involved purchasing experience.
But apart from the occasional test swims, these full-size pools go largely unused. When Pioneer Valley’s CEO Clancy Kaye considered the extreme heat that washed its way over the United States during the 2025 summer months, he decided to give back to the Westfield community in the best way he knew how.
“My belief has always been to give when nobody’s looking,” he says. “When I realized that Westfield doesn’t have a community pool, I was surprised. I couldn’t believe that. Nothing compares to getting in a pool on a hot summer day. So I thought, ‘What would it take to open up these pools to the public?’”
Once Kaye gets an idea, there’s not much that can get him to give it up. So after he had his CFO and wife on board, the next steps fell into place.
You have to think about everything, he says, from getting sued to setting some guidelines about the offer. It can’t be a free-for-all, and he knew that well enough. From making sure there was a lifeguard on duty, setting expectations for the use of the pool, and dictating when the pools would be open to public use, Kaye checked all the boxes.
From mid-July to the end of August, Pioneer Valley opened one of their six pools outside of their store to the Westfield community. Only operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays that exceeded 80 degrees, 30 Westfield residents (who were asked to show a Westfield ID) at a time could enjoy the pool.
Kaye and Pioneer Valley ran a tight ship, but it was all in the name of fostering a fun, social environment for a community that doesn’t have anything like it.
At the time of AQUA’s conversation with Kaye, the details right after the offer started were still getting hammered out.
“Everytime I think about it,” he says, “I just think, ‘What can we do to make this better? What can we do to make this cool?’ So we’re doing a Hot Dog Tuesday, where we’ll cook and sell hot dogs for two bucks. We work closely with local charities, soup kitchens and other organizations in the area, so proceeds will probably go to the Boys and Girls Club.”
Westfield residents beat the heat at Pioneer Valley's pool park — complete with swimming, games and Hot Dog Tuesdays — thanks to the company's community-first mindset.
The pool isn’t the only thing that’s drawing attention. A section of the pool park includes a miniature golf putting area for guests to use, as well as a game of cornhole set up beside it. Between that and the continued ideas to expand the reach of his offer, Kaye is all about creating a welcoming ambience for the community members that use the space.
Even days after the event began, Kaye was already showing enthusiasm for bringing back their pools for public use in years to come. At the end of the day, he’s a self-proclaimed giver — and proud of it.
“My guess would be that we’ll make this an annual event, almost without question,” he says eagerly. “It’s been too successful thus far.
“And keep in mind — while the acknowledgement has been great, the messages of people on Facebook thanking us for doing this, it’s all great…it’s really about doing it in spite of the coverage or thanks that we get. It’s about all of this being okay even if no one noticed.”
This article first appeared in the September 2025 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
