ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It looked like summer came early to Allentown's East Side on Thursday evening.
Sunshine filled the sky as kids played baseball and basketball at Andre Reed Park. And crews were putting the finishing touches on the new Irving Pool at the park's southwestern corner.
Allentown firefighters also swung by the park in a firetruck to help fill the pool, which is due to open over Memorial Day weekend.
The 100,000-gallon pool features a central whirlpool, multiple water features for kids and adults, several seating areas and two 25-yard swimming lanes.
Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony — more of a dirt-tossing ceremony — last June before crews started digging out a huge hole where the park’s old pool was filled in several years ago.
The project to build a new pool for East Siders finished on schedule, after Allentown Parks and Recreation Director Mandy Tolino said last year it would be ready for summer 2024.
The new pool also came in on budget, according to city Communications Manager Genesis Ortega.
The project had a price tag of $2.7 million, with $500,000 — less than 20% — coming directly from taxpayer funds, Ortega said.
Other funding sources included $1.6 million in coronavirus pandemic-relief money and a $300,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The new pool can hold more than 250 people at a time, officials have said. Access will be restricted to Allentown residents.
‘Looks like a great spot’
Irving Pool is set to open Friday, May 24, and officials plan to celebrate with a block party featuring food trucks, games, a DJ and more, Ortega said.
Tuerk and his administration are making a habit of launching public projects around Memorial Day.
“It’s always good to see a project completed. This is what an effective city government looks like; We have that competence to deliver a project as expected."Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
During Tuerk’s first year in office, Allentown officials reopened the Tilghman Street bridge in late May 2022 after it had been closed for several years.
And Gov. Josh Shapiro joined the celebration last May at the city’s grand reopening for Valania Park.
“It’s always good to see a project completed,” Tuerk told LehighValleyNews.com.
“This is what an effective city government looks like. We have that competence to deliver a project as expected.”
Her credited the city Parks and Recreation Department “for helping make [the pool] a reality."
The new Irving Pool “looks like a great spot,” Tuerk said. He said he can see himself “pulling a laptop out” and working by the pool this summer.
Lifeguards urgently needed
But the excitement around Irving Pool’s imminent opening could be tempered if city officials can't find a lot more lifeguards.
Allentown needs 20 lifeguards to work at the new pool, but only three had been hired as of Thursday, Ortega said.
Officials would be forced to limit the pool’s hours without a full complement of employees to ensure swimmers’ safety, she said.
The pool will be open from noon to 7 p.m., but that start time could be pushed back until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.
Ortega said the city offers a “competitive” starting wage of $18 an hour for lifeguards. Anyone at least 15 years old can apply for a job at the pool after Allentown City Council reduced the minimum age in 2022.
The city will cover the $400 fee for certification classes for all Allentown residents and non-residents who work for the city for the entire pool season.
Click here for more information on how to become a lifeguard in Allentown.
