How to solve the Lehigh Valley’s swimming pool problem
Hellertown officials took heat recently when they restricted attendance at the borough pool to local residents with season passes.
The policy, driven by increases in crowds and misbehavior coupled with a staffing shortage, was decried as discriminatory by critics on Facebook. Others demanded to be able to use the community’s facility, regardless of where they lived, or lamented the lack of other options.
“Very sad. I happen to be back in the Valley for the summer and there’s no place for me to swim,” one woman commented.
Bethlehem also recently restricted attendance at one of its pools. The newly renovated Memorial Pool is open only to city residents and season passholders from 1 to 4 p.m. Others may attend later in the day, if there is room.
Communities that have pools should do what they believe is necessary to make sure their facilities are comfortable and safe for their intended users — their own residents. They shouldn’t care what others think.
There is a way to make sure that everyone in the Lehigh Valley has access to a swimming pool:
Lehigh and Northampton counties could build pools.
Other Pennsylvania counties, including Bucks County, provide pools for their residents. Our region should join them.
Lehigh and Northampton counties have nice park systems. Some of the parks have space for a pool.
Northampton’s 200-acre Wayne A. Grube park in Allen Township has 150 undeveloped acres.
Lehigh’s Cedar Creek Parkway West in South Whitehall Township includes a lot of active recreation, with soccer, baseball and softball fields and tennis and basketball courts.
At 156 acres, why not a pool, too?
I wondered if I would be told to jump in a lake for suggesting the counties invest millions to build pools, and then staff and maintain them.
I wasn’t, though I didn’t find the interest I had hoped, either.
Lehigh County didn’t have much to say, other than that it has no plans to build a pool, according to spokeswoman Laura Grammes.
Northampton County has not ever considered a pool, county Executive Lamont McClure told me. He said while a pool isn’t in short-term plans, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
The county’s immediate priority for parks, he said, is to acquire land before it is lost to development. Building out the parks with recreation facilities will follow.
McClure said he wouldn’t be opposed to a county-owned pool, but it would be “logistically difficult” to build one that would be conveniently located to all county residents.
Many municipal pools are located so people can bike or walk to them, he said.
Location is a challenge. But it shouldn’t be a deterrent. No location will satisfy everyone.
When I was growing up near Pittsburgh, my family took a few trips every summer to a county-owned pool on the other side of Allegheny County. It would have been nice if there was a county pool closer to our home, but the trip wasn’t unbearable, an hour at most.
Later, a pool was built closer to our home in another county park.
Bucks County has two pools. Oxford Valley Pool is in Fairless Hills, in southern Bucks. Tohickon Valley Pool is in Point Pleasant, in central Bucks. Both are on the eastern side of the county.
Either would be a hike for residents in northern Bucks communities such as Quakertown and Richland Township. But they at least have the option.
It may sound odd to be talking about building more pools at a time when some pools aren’t open, or are open for only limited hours, because of a shortage of lifeguards.
There have been shortages in past years, too, that haven’t received as much publicity. The problem is not new.
The answer is to follow the rule of supply and demand. Pay lifeguards more. Then adjust pool prices accordingly.
Bucks County raised the rate for lifeguards to $13 an hour and senior lifeguards to $15 an hour on Wednesday, spokesman Larry King said. Its Tohickon pool hasn’t opened yet because of a lack of lifeguards, and the Oxford pool is closed two days a week.
With some pools closed because they need repairs or because of lifeguard shortages, the pools that are open will be drawing swimmers from a wider area. Don’t be surprised if more municipal pools restrict entrance as the summer progresses — Lower Macungie Township did on Thursday — so they can reduce crowds and ensure that their taxpayers can enjoy their pool.
If that occurs, maybe we can build support for countywide pools.
