SLATINGTON, P.a. — For three summers, citizens in northern Lehigh County haven’t been able to access their public pool.
Now, the region is one step closer to getting it back.
- State Sen. Pat Browne and state Rep. Zach Mako secured $150,000 in funds to repair the Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool in Slatington
- It fell into disrepair after closing in 2020 due to the pandemic
- The pool will likely open in the spring of 2023
State Sen. Patrick Browne (R-Lehigh) and State Rep. Zach Mako (R-Lehigh/Northampton) announced Thursday they had secured $150,000 in next year’s state budget to complete repairs and renovations to Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool in Slatington.
Mako said the funds likely will mean the pool can open in spring 2023.
“This is one of the cornerstones in our community here in Slatington. It's a fan favorite,” Mako said at a news conference to announce the funding. “So we definitely want to get this up and running as soon as possible, and work with the board of directors to make sure that happens.”
Browne and Mako had already secured $250,000 for the pool in the prior year's budget, but the new funds were needed because the contractor found more repairs were needed, Browne said.
“This is one of the cornerstones in our community here in Slatington. It's a fan favorite."State Rep. Zach Mako
“One of the challenges that I've seen over my career [is] a lot of these facilities have not survived because it's expensive," Browne said. "It's really expensive to maintain facilities like this and to keep them at a level that's both attractive to the public and, frankly, safe.”
Katherine Barhight Herzog, treasurer for the Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool Association, said the pool closed in 2020 because of COVID-1 After that, the 60-year-old pool kept breaking down.
“Normally a pool lasts 7-10 years, and it had been redone [about] 60 years ago,” Barhight Herzog said.
The pool association, a group of volunteers, did not have the money at the time to repair it. They tried to raise funds, but weren't able to get enough money without the support from the state budget.
Barhight Herzog said she is grateful for the additional funds so they can reopen on schedule.
“It’s just a really nice place in the summer for families and friends to get together," she said. "It’s something that has been missed over the past few years.”
Barhight Herzog said the pool association will continue to raise funds to keep the price of admission low and the facilities operating, but will not need to fundraise at a large scale.
