New Frackville Community Pool opens today
Jun. 12—FRACKVILLE — Saturday is the day for some splishin' and splashin'.
The new Frackville Community Pool is opening its gates to the public.
The pool at the Memorial Park Complex will be open from noon to 7 p.m., which is the daily schedule for the season. The announcement of the opening was made during Wednesday's Frackville Borough Council meeting.
The borough public pool was last open seven years ago. Thanks to state grants and various fundraisers, Frackville Public Spaces Inc., formerly the Frackville Pool Committee, and other organizations helped fund the project, which cost more than $1 million.
The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was May 14. While the pool was completed then, additional work, such as landscaping, needed to be finished.
"Our goal is to have the pool open this Saturday, June 12," Mayor Kim Phillips said Wednesday. "There is still some tweaking that needs to be done."
Councilman Charlie Berger thanked everyone involved.
"A lot of people put in a lot of work," he said. "Borough workers, engineers, council members, the pool committee, Mr. (Mark) Semanchik. We're very pleased about the opening on Saturday. I hope everybody comes and gets wet and enjoys themselves. Thank you to all for the work done on the pool."
The council approved the long list of pool rules, health regulations, water slide rules and a closing policy involving the following conditions:
—The pool may close or be closed early in case of inclement weather or low attendance.
—The pool may be closed immediately in the event that lightning or thunder is present in or around the area. The pool will remain closed until 30 minutes after the last visible lighting or audible thunder.
—The pool will be closed if air temperature is 60 degrees or below.
The borough adopted the following rates for this season:
—A daily pass is $5; from 5 to 7 p.m. is $2.50.
—A single pass is $75 per resident, $85 per nonresident.
—A family pass is $170 per resident and covers an adult couple and their children or the children residing with them, up to age 18; or $200 per nonresident, with the same coverage restrictions.
The former pool in Memorial Park was built in 1978. The last year it opened was 2014. In early 2015, deterioration in the walls was discovered, and after an engineering study, it was found that three of the six pool walls had pulled away.
The filtration system was also damaged.
Premier Pool Renovations, of Plymouth Meeting, submitted the low bid of $922,245, which included the removal of the old pool and construction of the new one at the same location; the installation of a new perimeter fence; the construction of a new filtration building and system; and landscaping.
A second contractor, Heim Construction Co. Inc., Orwigsburg, was awarded the contract at $378,156 for the construction of a new bathhouse, which includes changing areas, restrooms, a concession stand and a small storage area.
The plan was to have the pool open by the Memorial Day weekend in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project.
Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023
