DynaDome Transforms Outdoor Pool Into Year-Round Paradise

John Schlansker describes living in Greenville, S.C., as another day in paradise, but every now and then, it rains in paradise, too. That’s why Schlansker and the Greenville YMCA rely on DynaDome to ensure the outdoor pool stays a paradise day after day.

John SchlanskerJohn Schlansker
“It’s not just a company we purchased something from — it is a group that we have partnered with,” says Schlansker, vice president of facilities and risk management at YMCA of Greenville and a 27-year Y veteran. When Schlansker first started in facilities management, the outdoor pool at the Caine Halter Family YMCA was covered in an inflatable bubble. 

“We had this inflatable bubble, and it was a good, affordable solution at the time,” he says. “It allowed us to keep the pool open year-round, but it wasn’t a great environment. There was no natural light. It was hot and steamy. Not a comfortable setting.” 

Schlansker and his team connected with DynaDome several years ago, and for a long time, upgrading the outdoor facility was on his wish list. It wasn’t until vandalism made the previous inflatable bubble unusable in January 2023 that the dream became a reality. “We had been doing our homework to use this as an opportunity,” he says. “We just really had to shorten up the timeline.”

The team spent eight weeks putting together the necessary funding and then spent a few months with DynaDome planning and permitting the site. During that time, a team from DynaDome visited the Caine Halter Family YMCA a few times to consult on design and engineering. Says Schlansker, “The long-term investment is definitely paying off and well worth it.”

Since opening in January 2024, the DynaDome structure at the outdoor pool has been game-changing for Schlansker, his team and Y members. “It is visually just striking,” Schlansker says. “It’s something that we are proud to show off and to have our members use. It also gives us so much flexibility in terms of operation. We can open and close the structure in under a minute. On nice days here in January, we can open it up to enjoy the natural sun, but if it’s a cloudy, rainy day, we can close it, as well.” 

The DynaDome structure came in handy for more than just blocking out the bad weather. Schlansker explains, “What we saw is actually during the summer, we can close it and take advantage of the partial shade to keep the water cool and our members cool, too. It’s hot down here in South Carolina, so to have those options in the summer months is something that we didn’t even plan for, but is a huge benefit.” 

Schlansker and his team aren’t the only ones loving the benefits of DynaDome. He describes the enthusiastic response from members. “Back when we had the old bubble, it was really just our dedicated lap swimmers that would use that pool,” he says. “Now, we see so much more usage. Kids, families, seniors and all types of folks will use the pool year-round.” 

With the improved environment around the outdoor pool, Schlansker explains how programming has expanded. The pool now hosts swim lessons, swim team practices and recreational use of the pool deck. 

“We have not had many issues with it since being installed, but when anything does pop up, DynaDome has been very responsive. Parts have arrived quickly, even after our purchase and installation, they have been great to work with,” says Schlansker. 

The Caine Halter Family YMCA is just one of several YMCAs in Greenville, S.C., and Schlansker excitedly shares that a facility across the county currently undergoing renovations is planning to install a DynaDome structure in the next 18 months. 

Says Schlansker, “This other branch we’re looking at, they have just an outdoor pool. We wanted to add another indoor element, and the cost-effective way to do that and give our members what they need and desire is DynaDome.”