Testimonials for One of the Finest Pool Companies in the Hudson Valley

I am writing this testimonial in support of John Shively, who is nearly complete the work on a gunite pool project at my home in Woodstock, NY.

I have been working with John for over a year on this project and on John's behalf, I am pleased to note the following about his performance on our pool project:

• Despite the pandemic, massive supply chain disruptions, and a labor shortage, John planned and secured supplies, obtained permits, and scheduled the work in record time.
• John has excellent crews that are skilled, knowledgeable, efficient, and mindful in their work practices.
• John and his team began construction in the fall and were able to complete the concrete shell and plumbing, making the pool ready for a quick finish in the spring.
• Completion of the main portion of the project (to gunite shell) was completed well within proposed and promised timelines, despite the fact that the site on my land contained worse than feared solid rock from depths starting at just two feet below the surface and also contained severe ground water conditions; John's team approached these conditions with impressive skill and control.
• On a personal level, I'd also like to note that John is a respectable yet affable person who is a true professional (as are the members of his crew). He clearly takes pride in his work and throughout the project, I've always found John to be straightforward, easy to plan and problem solve with, and immensely reasonable and fair.

Given the above, I recommend John highly and without the slightest reservation.

Marc Cohen, MD
Woodstock, NY

We hired JHS Services/The Pool Chemist to build our 20 by 40 in-ground vinyl liner pool and consider ourselves lucky that we did.

There was only one location that suited us to build the pool which proved to be sandy soils with moving water. Lucky for us this company has seasoned veterans experienced with handling adverse conditions and on the spot engineering mind and 35 years' experience putting in pools in “impossible” places was aboard.

The process involved somehow building the deep end walls with masonry block, running pumps and crew placing gravel quickly as the blocks went up staying ahead of the water flow and stopping it as it went up.

The best part of this experience is that process that could easily have broken the bank was done so skillfully and efficiently that I knew I was getting a bargain.

The pool concept that was offered for my property looks very good, like a high-end black plaster gunite pool. The liner is a dark granite color that looks like plaster with no fake vinyl print tile. I have a bluestone overhanging coping with a bull nose and steps that run the length of the shallow end with a widened first step for a sun bench.

Russell Kelly
Smith Lane
Accord, NY 12404

I had tried to find a pool company to repair and paint my in-ground concrete pool (built in 1965) for many years. My regular pool maintenance company said they don’t do that. I found someone who had the pool sandblasted and painted but within a few months the paint peeled. They did it all over again, said they used the best quality pool paint but it peeled within months.

I was ready to give up when I called John Shively of JHS Services Inc.. He came right over, told me what could be done. He found severely damaged concrete beneath the patchwork done by the prior pool maintenance folks, found the inlet and outlet pipes in poor condition. He provided an estimate. Gave me choices. Did the repairs, replaced the pipes and, instead of paint, used plaster, colored to our specification to resurface the whole pool and put natural appearing tiles for the top foot of the pool. He said this combination would last many years and he guarantees his work. He also serviced and repaired the pool heater and saline chlorinator. All done on time and on budget.

I have been using the pool since his restoration and it is fantastic. Aside from looking like a new pool, I could feel the difference I the smooth, even pool walls. His work was of the highest quality I am a surgeon and Mr. Shively’s attention to detail and perfectionism reminds me of what I strive for in the operating room.

I give him and his company my highest recommendation.

Sincerely,

Marc Goldstein, MD, DSc (hon), FACS

John's company began pool services for us in 2002. Since then he and his service crew have provided excellent maintenance and repair work for the pool and all of its equipment. This has been of great value to us because for the past six years we have been renting our home out to weekend and summer tenants while we live in our second home in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My tanants have been very pleased with the pool maintenance and timely attention to their emergency needs, from heater repairs to finding and repairing sudden massive leaks in the underground plumbing.

John wanted me to mention the fact that his key employee Tom Hidaka built my swimming pool man years ago when he was a partner in another local pool company.

We were encouraged, during what turned out to be difficult site conditions, by Tom's mastery of the situation and was able to handle challenges in a way that had a lot less financial impact to us than feared they might. We found Tom to be a very personable and caring individual who inspired confidence with us and his crew as well.

Sincerely,

Morgan and Wendy Turner

For the past four years I have been using the services of John Shively, owner of JHS Services, but perhaps better known as The Pool Chemist. Johan has seen our pool through a number of problems and done so with the kind of urgency and success that not being able to use the pool requires.

I reached out to John when I had a leaking problem that others could not solve. A leak in the pool reduced the water level to the point my vinyl liner was at risk and exposed to shrinking and wrinkling. John quickly diagnosed and solved the leak in the main drain hydrostatic relief valve and then did a superb job of staying with and struggling with the liner to work out the wrinkles as the pool was being filled. The successful results continue to make our summer swimming enjoyable.

With his competent and dependable team, John has provided weekly maintenance for the pool and, when needed, made timely repairs to the pump. In addition, he has taken care of maintaining and repairing the propane heater many times

In addition to providing pool maintenance John is also a swimming pool builder -- one of his key employees built my pool some 15 years ago when he was a partner in a major pool building enterprise. My pool could not have had more challenging conditions with rock and ground water difficulties but he handled them masterfully without breaking the bank.

I am very happy to recommend John and his team for swimming pool construction, maintenance, and repair.

Jan R. Van Meter
502 Krumville Road
Olivebridge, NY

JHS Services inc installed a 45 ft. long vinyl liner swimming pool for us in June 2015.along with the associated equipment including a chlorine purification system, propane heater, winter safety cover and an manually operated version of an automatic cover operated by means of a track fastened to the deck.

The quality of the pool and the installation exceeded our expectations. The work was performed on time and on budget. The crew chief, Tom, was exceptionally conscientious, attentive to detail, and a pleasure to work with.



Benjamin Miller
Stanfordville, NY

Dear John,

I am writing this to inform you that I have recommended you to several people who may need your services. I have been very satisfied with your promptness and your skills in the taking care of my pool, from the new liner you put in to the balancing of the chemical make-up of my pool.

I have used other pool companies prior to you and they never came close to your standards. Thank you once again for your caring and know that I will continue to recommend your services.

Very Truly Yours,



Joseph F. Kurzban, President
General Business Products, Inc.

To Whom It May Concern:

We have been using John Shively's pool services since April, 2004. We are very pleased with his knowledge of pool chemistry as well as his courteous and efficient manner.

Thank you,



Tina Kirshner
Jack Miller

To Whom It May Concern,

John Shively has installed our fiberglass and has done an extraordinary job painting our pool and deck area. We were impressed by the quality and positive feedback from our guests. The process of installation was easy and hassle free because of the careful planning done by John Shively before the installation of the materials transported to our facility.

Satisfying our guests was a focus of our hotel. Not only were we able to increase our occupancy in our guest rooms, be we were also able to schedule more pool party and outdoor events. We have increased our revenue and it has been a pleasant and memorable experience for our guests. We greatly appreciate the quality they have shared with us and we believe that they are a very reliable company. John Shively knows and believes that customers come first.

Sincerely,



Hopeton Smith, Chief Engineer
Crowne Plaza, White Plains, NY

To Whom It May Concern:

We had a difficult time with the pool continually getting a rough texture on the bottom, for which we had many complaints from the guests using the pool. We got in touch with John Shively and he put a fiberglass coating in the pool. Today, after two years, we are still well satisfied with the job he did on the pool.

John was easy to deal with and we were back in service in one week. The guests remark about the pool at our Comfort Inn.

Sincerely,



Richard Kneasel, Owner
Comfort Inn, Bethel, PA

To Whom It May Concern:

I am the owner of a Comfort Inn and Suites in Plattsburgh, NY which has an indoor pool and 70 foot waterslide. We also own/operate a health club and family center out of the same location. So with the hotel, health club members and birthday parties, our pool gets a lot of use. Our pool was installed in 1988 with a cement bottom and fiberglass side panels. The pool paint would peel off the bottom periodically necessitating emptying the pool and repainting it. The fiberglass panels also started to deteriorate.

We contacted John Shively of JHS Services, Inc and after checking references decided to contract with him to fiberglass our pool and resurface our pool deck with a non slip surface, as we had many slip and fall accidents with young kids being excited about the waterslide.

John and his crew came to our property and applied the fiberglass to the entire interior surface of our pool and made it look fantastic. He and his crew performed their work in a timely and professional manner and we are very excited and pleased with the results. The finish John and his crew put on the floor also performed as promised and our slips and falls have disappeared.

I would highly recommend JHS Services, Inc. The did a great job for us.

Very truly yours,



Terry M Meron, Owner
Comfort Inn and Suites, Plattsburgh, NY

John,

Your pool cover is so great that several friends have asked me who did it for me!

We will be coming back to Woodstock in the middle of April and look forward to opening the pool early in May and hopefully be able to use it by the end of the month, around Decoration Day. If needed, you can contact me in Santa Monica but will be here in Woodstock until October 31 or possibly until November 5th.

Have a good winter and I look forward to seeing you when we return to Woodstock.



Warmly,

Jerry Fields

Dear John,

I wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you did at the Villa Vosilla's spa. I really appreciate the you came to work on it so many times, and I am very sorry that we didn't have things ready for you! I will recommend you for any spa jog that I am aware of, and I hope you will return to work at the Villa Vosilla in the future. I wish you health and happiness.

My personal regards,



Natalina Vosilla, Proprietor
Villa Vosilla, Tannersville, NY

To Whom It May Concern:

Two years ago John Shively of JHS Enterprises resurfaced our indoor swimming pool and spa with an epoxy coating.

The swimming pool was a plaster pool which was showing a lot of deterioration, was discolored and difficult to keep clean. The new epoxy coating is bright and makes the pool look brand new. It does not stain and is easier to clean.

The spa had a coating on it that was discolored and peeling off. It now has a good looking finish and is easy to maintain.

Sincerely,



Martin Milano, President
Hampton Inn, Newburgh, NY

To Whom It May Concern:

During the fall of 2001, the Homeowners Association of Twin Ponds contracted John Shively to install a fiberglass coating to the 20' x 40' gunnite pool which had been built around 1990. The entire process took approximately two weeks which also included coping work. The pool cured for one week during cool weather conditions and was then filled for winter storage.

Mr. Shively and his work force did an excellent job as far as I can see. As an added benefit, The required maintenance of the pool should be less money over the years.

The Ulster County Board of Health was also contacted to approve the plans before the work began. This was the first fiberglass installation that the Board of Health had encountered. Personnel were quite satisfied with the specifications and proposed work.

If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,



Joan K. Levy
Twin Ponds Homeowners Association

To Whom It May Concern:

I am happy to write this letter of recommendation for John Shively.

I own a home that has an indoor fiberglass pool as its centerpiece in the grand room. The pool was nearly 20 years old and showed its age with discoloration and colbalting. John was able to identify the effects of the cobalting and recommend a course of repair with laying fiberglass sheets using high quality resin.

The final results are beautiful. The pool is brought back to life and looks spectacular. He also spent time retrofitting new jets as the old ones were crumbling due to age.

John is thorough, knowledgeable, hard-working, creative and talented. He was eager to take on the unusual challenge of my pool and I believe has enjoyed trying to please me. He is also a man of his word, as he is returning nine months later to fix a few spots that are not perfect.

You would do well with John Shively refurbishing your pool.

Sincerely,

Donald Franklin

Testimonials