DECATUR - As a teenager, Jane Sarver couldn't wait to get to the Decatur Surf Club.

"I got in the habit of taking my swimsuit to work," she said, eliminating the need for any unnecessary pit stops that would delay her arrival at the pool.

Now 63, Sarver still has vivid memories of Friday night teen dances, Fourth of July fireworks and spending summers with her friends.

Several decades have passed, but Sarver's love for the pool hasn't changed.

The Decatur woman still can be found lounging by the pool on most summer days, her grandchildren in tow, waiting for the lifeguard to announce an adult swim and the few minutes of peace it will bring for her to cool off in the water.

"But you better be ready to get out of the way," Sarver said.

The kids, she points out, usually hover around the edge, waiting to jump in when adult swim ends. It's the least Sarver would expect. She did the same thing when she was younger.

It's that connection with the past, that fun family atmosphere, that resonates with Sarver and a host of others who take time to comment on the "Good times at the Surf Club" page on Facebook.

Tapping into those memories, and helping people create new ones, is the goal of Dan and Erin Janvrin, who purchased the pool five years ago, soon after their return to Decatur.

The facility offered two enticing features: a place to live, and a summer job that would allow Erin to stay at home with their family. The couple have two daughters, ages 4 and 7.

"Our two girls have all their friends in their backyard every day," Dan Janvrin said. "They live in the pool."

It didn't hurt that he had an intimate knowledge of the facility. He, too, spent many summer days at Surf Club when he was a kid living in South Shores.

The Surf Club, built in 1959 by Wally McCane, includes three pools of varying depth and a pool house. The lower portion houses the snack bar and locker rooms. It was the second private swim club to open in Decatur. The public swimming pool in Nelson Park opened in 1965, and the Fairview Park Pool opened in 1966.

The Janvrins took over a facility in desperate need of repair.

Their immediate attention went toward things the club's members couldn't see: plumbing and electrical repairs. With the infrastructure in place, their attention switched to the public areas that were showing their age.

"We've painstakingly rebuilt it from the ground up," Dan Janvrin said. "We gutted the lobby and snack bar, brought in all brand-new lounge chairs, replaced everything in the locker rooms. It's been quite the process."

But the investment of time and money are beginning to pay off.

Membership has doubled to about 400 since they took over.

"The more you put into it, the more you get out of it," Dan Janvrin said.

He also attributes the growth in and around Mount Zion and the quality of the school system with attracting more young families to the area. Young families are the most likely candidates to take advantage of their facility.

Erin said she talks with lots of women who enjoy the opportunity to get out of the house and interact with other women while their kids play with friends.

While the Janvrins boast about their Toasty Burger, a grilled cheese/hamburger combination, they understand eating at the snack bar every day could be a little costly. That's why they allow their members to bring in outside food and drinks.

The Janvrins live on the remodeled second level, the former fitness center, offering them a bird's-eye view of the pool and the mostly wooded area that surrounds it. The wooded area used to be part of a seven-hole golf course that was once part of the Surf Club offerings.

Living at the pool helps them to keep tabs on the action, thus maintaining the family atmosphere they strive for. People know the owners are nearby, limiting any problems that might arise.

It was during renovation of their living quarters that Dan Janvrin became acquainted with Galka Custom Cabinet Co. That interaction led him to become a co-owner of the Decatur company.

Much like the pool, he described the 33-year-old Galka as a good company in need of "a fresh look."

Harkening back to its past, the Janvrins will host their second Freedom Fest for the club's members during the Fourth of July weekend. This year's event will double as the facility's 50th birthday bash.

"The weekend will include games, contests and swim races," Erin Janvrin said, just like they did when the pool originally opened.

Games will include a greased watermelon race and diving for money.

"It was just mayhem," Dan Janvrin said, describing last year's diving for money activity.

Responding to member requests, activities and improvements keep coming.

New this year is an outdoor patio ideal for hosting gatherings of up to 40 people. They'd like to add more water attractions, such as a slide, but insurance concerns have thrown cold water on those ideas.

sperry@herald-review.com|421-7976