FAIRMONT — Mayor Lora Michael always saw Freeland "Bub" Miller as the future of Mannington.

"He wouldn't steer you wrong," Michael said, barely holding back tears. "He was one of those people that were going to run the community. He was going to be a business leader. He was just warming up."

COVID took Miller's life in November 2021 at 33. 

But Mannington won't forget Miller. His name will steward the community's newly-reopened pool for what residents and town leadership hope will be another 80 years. The town held an opening and naming ceremony for the pool on July 4 at Hough Park.

Overcast skies threatened precipitation, but the rain stayed away for the festivities. Michael enlisted the help of some neighborhood kids to cut the pool's ribbon, followed shortly by some inaugural water jets from the pool's splash pad. Unfortunately, the chlorine levels in the pool refused to cooperate, stalling residents from enjoying their first dip. Pool management said the issue would be resolved by the afternoon. 

"There's a reason why they're naming this after him," Crystal Miller, "Bub" Miller's mother, said. "He would give you the shirt off his back. He did anything for the community, anything for his family, his friends. There wasn't a person that I know anywhere that didn't like him. He was just a great kid, always, from the minute he was born."

Crystal Miller said the name fit, because the pool will now serve the community how "Bub" Miller served Mannington. The pool's reopening also marks the triumphant return of a beloved amenity that's been a cornerstone of the community for over 80 years. A volunteer labor board of 1,200 to 1,500 people completed the pool in 1938.

The pool was in dire need of work when it went unused in 2020, due to COVID. Lenny Stafford, president of the Mannington Park Board, discovered leaks in the liner. Shortages caused by the worldwide supply chain complicated repair efforts. 

However, the town didn't give up. Officials applied for a matching fund grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The community set a target of $900,000 to meet. Like before, residents put their backs into raising money and reached their goal. The Marion County Commission, the gas company EQT, other corporate and private sponsors threw in donations. However, one of the largest donations was made by the Millers, who raised money on their son's behalf. 

The town reached its goal, making $2.2 million available for the project. 

"The first thing we had to do was demolish the old pool," Randy Watson, senior project manager with the Thrasher Group, said. "Then we had to come in and pour concrete for the floor and then set the walls. We had to run all the plumbing lines from the pool house. And we had to set the features."

The features are the new splash pad, colorful fixtures that shoot jets of water or dump it on children playing below. Watson said splash pads have become more popular in recent times because they're safer for children and are easier to maintain. It's less water to treat with chlorine, for example. It also precludes the need for a life guard in most cities. 

In terms of safety, the new pool is not as deep as the old one. Watson said it was necessary to decrease the depth in order to afford insurance for the pool. Instead of being 10 feet deep, the pool is now five and half feet deep.

The pool was rebuilt with modern design techniques as well, composed out of stainless steel with PVC liner. The bottom is concrete. The filtration system comes from a company in Indiana named the Atari Group. 

"It's got a vertical sand filter on it," RJ Hovatter, senior project manager at Thrasher, said. "It's pretty high tech, pretty state-of-the-art type stuff for the pool."

Friends of "Bub" Miller helped out during the construction phase. The Millers played an integral role in rallying the community behind the pool's resurrection. It quickly became clear who's character would embody best what the pool was to bring to the community. Michael said naming the pool after "Bub" Miller was the right thing to do.

The old pool was also a part of Miller family history. 

"Well, his mother and I first met here 40 years ago," 'Bub's' father, Freeland Miller, said. "This is where we met. It's where I grew up swimming. He grew up swimming here. It's an amazing thing buddy."

Now, the pool is even closer to the Miller family. 

"No one will ever forget [Bub] because he still lives on in Mannington," Crystal Miller said. "I hope everyone comes out and enjoys the pool. Mannington's a great place. So grateful that they did this for us. So grateful for him."