Injured vet gets therapy pool thanks to local business

Jan Cerminara said in the 26 years she and her husband, Fred, have been in business, their company, Pool & Spa Outlet on Galley Road in North Strabane Township, has installed thousands of pools.

However, the fiberglass pool recently installed at the Vitale house in Peters Township is one of if not the most important projects they have done, she said.

Doug Vitale was severely wounded while fighting in Afghanistan in September 2011 when he stepped on a land mine. He lost both legs above the knee and suffered strokes on both sides of his brain because of blood loss.

In July, Vitale and his wife, Alexis, moved into their custom home in Peters Township designed to permit the couple to live as independently as possible. Funds for the $500,000 home were raised through community efforts, including by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764 in Peters Township, and national organizations, such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Tunnels to Towers.

While the home is equipped with special lifts and other amenities to aid the Vitales, Cerminara knew something was missing and that something was an outdoor therapy pool.

When Vitales mother-in-law, Denise Abraham of Peters Township, was purchasing a hot tub from Cerminaras daughter, Ashley Meucci, who went to Peters Township High School with Abrahams son Matt, the two began to talk about how much Vitale used to love to swim.

After more than a year of discussions among the Cerminara family members, the idea of installing a pool was born, and Pool & Spa Outlet donated a Viking fiberglass, constant-depth pool that will provide a place for Vitale to have water therapy.

Alexis Vitale said the family is working with the Veterans Administration to determine what type of lift will be needed, with the VA providing the eventual choice. Because there is not a lift, no one but the familys service dog, Partner, has been in the pool, and that was because he jumped in to retrieve a toy.

Its a small pool, Cerminara said. It measures 12 feet by 25 feet, and is a constant depth of 4 1/2 feet. Installation took about a week at the new house on Longleaf Drive in Venetia.

The Cerminara family was not the only one to donate services. Donations came from Silhol Builders Supply Co., All Around Concrete Pumping, Briggs Electric, A&S Landscaping and Santel Landscape and Design in Bethel Park, just to name a few. Cerminara cousin Anthony Cerminara provided the excavating. Jan Cerminara said the companys lead installer, Bob Kaczorowski, donated his weeks salary while working on the project, and other vendors provided discounts on materials.

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Injured vet gets therapy pool thanks to local business