It’s in the City of Warren.

It sits essentially at the base of Oak Street on the east side.

The city owns it.

The YMCA manages it.

Times Observer photo by Jon Sitler Even the C.A.R. Pool knows it’s called the C.A.R. Pool according to the sign at the C.A.R. Pool

But what is it called?

That depends on whether you want the official name or the former official name, which seems to be what long-time locals know it by (a name that doesn’t make much sense to those of us who haven’t lived here that long and only hear the acronym).

The City of Warren Parks and Recreation Commission took steps this week to clarify the name.

Terry Williams, the city’s director of codes, permitting and recreation services, cited meeting minutes from 2007 that indicated a contest was held in 1986 to select a name for the municipal pool.

The C.A.R. Pool was the winner – Conewango Allegheny River Pool.

But city council discussed in 2007 that the name was causing confusion – was it a pool? Did it have to do with cars? So the council at the time changed the name to the Warren Municipal Pool.

“Everyone calls and asks about the C.A.R. Pool,” Dani Mostachetti, the YMCA’s Aquatic Coordinator who manages the municipal pool, said. “No one calls it Warren Municipal Pool.”

Williams said that staff have been “advertising more aggressively this year” and have been using the C.A.R. Pool name.

“City staff would like to be consistent,” she said, asking the commission for a recommendation to be made to council on the issue.

Mostachetti said that “as an outsider,” she didn’t know the C.A.R. Pool name.

“At the same time, everyone knows it’s the C.A.R. Pool,” she added.

“If everyone is calling it the C.A.R. Pool, let’s go with it,” Commission member Kirk Johnson said.

The Commission then unanimously agreed to recommend a name change back to the C.A.R. Pool.

That recommendation will now forward to city council for consideration.