ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School District is considering an $18.4 million rebuild of the pool at Allen High School after a decades-long leak prompted outrage on social media this month.
A Facebook user, who claims to work for the district,shared an image online allegedly depicting the leak’s impact on the athletic facilities below Allen’s pool.
The image showed puddles of water in a blocked-off hallway and what appears to be unsanitary conditions.
“Our vision is that we have our collective community determine where our priorities should be given what the dollars are."Carol Birks, Allentown School District Superintendent
Shortly after the post gained attention online, ASD issued a statement that acknowledged concerns of “alleged mold” beneath Allen’s pool.
The district said it is monitoring environmental conditions at the high school, and there is “no immediate health hazard.”
ASD also said Allen’s natatorium — the indoor pool complex — is safe to use. But access to the track and weight room beneath the pool have been restricted.
At Thursday’s school board meeting, district Chief Operations Officer Robert Whartenby told school directors the pool has been leaking for at least 20 years and fixing the structure would take 36 months from design to completion.
That’s if school directors choose to move forward with the project, which was one of several proposed for consideration based on feasibility studies from 2021 and 2025.
The district has $500 million worth of deferred maintenance.
“Our vision is that we have our collective community determine where our priorities should be given what the dollars are,” Superintendent Carol Birks said.
Invest in 'ancient,' 'historical' Allen High?
Allen’s pool was built around 1970 and the school’s main building in 1916.
School Director Lisa Conover questioned why the district would consider investing in a pool upgrade at Allen, given the school's age.
“If the school is no good, it doesn’t make sense to put $18 million in it."Lisa Conover, Allentown School Director
“We had already established that this was ancient,” she said.
She said Allen needs to be “knocked down.”
“If the school is no good, it doesn’t make sense to put $18 million in it,” Conover said.
Conover said Allen was on a list of schools the district needs to “get rid of” that predated Superintendent Birks’ tenure.
Birks said Allen isn’t currently on such a list.
Bob Smith, a former school director and current candidate to rejoin the board, told LehighValleyNews.com that Allen wasn’t a priority for rebuilding as of 2019, when he was last on the board.
At the time, the priorities for rebuilding included Harrison-Morton Middle School, Raub Middle School and Jefferson Elementary, he said.
The creation of a middle school on the East Side was a top concern, as well, Smith said.
The district currently is addressing that concern with the creation of a school off Hanover Avenue for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
At Thursday’s meeting, Smith pushed back against Conover’s argument. He said the natatorium isn’t located in Allen’s main building — which he called “historical.”
“These comments about tearing down William Allen cannot happen,” he said. “The alumni association and most of Allentown would be against that.”
Conover suggested the district look into the cost of busing students to another facility that has a pool instead of updating Allen’s natatorium, which district officials said they are considering.
The district will conduct focus groups and surveys to see if the pool project is something the Allen community wants to pursue.
Other proposed athletic facilities projects
Similar community engagement efforts will be made for other athletics projects up for consideration.
One of those is the creation of a practice field at Andre Reed Park for nearby Dieruff High School. The project would include a football field; six-lane, nonregulation track; and new field house.
The project would take 21 months to complete. It would cost $15 million if the district opts for a synthetic turf field and $7.5 million to $10 million for a grass field.
Another proposed project is the construction of a field house at J. Birney Crum Stadium for $7.5 million. The project would take 35 months.
The field house would include locker rooms and bathrooms on the lower level. The upper level would house the weight room that’s currently located under Allen’s pool.
Additionally, the district would replace the track and field at the stadium for $1.5 million.
Other projects for consideration include installing playgrounds at Washington Elementary and Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy, ranging in cost from $250,000 to $300,000.
The district also is considering upgrades to the practice field used by Harrison-Morton, as well as another field used by both Raub and Union Terrace Elementary School.
Those upgrades would range in cost from $230,000 to $580,000.
2 projects make progress in early stages
The district also is making headway on two current facilities projects for new buildings — a Family Engagement & Resource Center and the K-8 school on the city’s East Side.
The Family Engagement & Resource Center will be a 13,000 square foot addition to the campus of Bridgeview Academy of Health, Science, Innovation and Technology, at 265 Lehigh St. — the site of the former Building 21 High School.
“A lot of this stuff will happen under one roof as opposed to 28 different buildings or coming to the central office."Allentown School District Chief Operations Officer Robert Whartenby
The center will cost $12 million to build. It will be partially funded by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority through a $522,205 grant from the Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Competitive Grant Program.
The center will serve as an enrollment and registration hub. It also will have a health suite that offers mental and physical health services, such as immunizations.
There also will be a workforce development space, where residents can lean how to write resumes and look for jobs.
“A lot of this stuff will happen under one roof as opposed to 28 different buildings or coming to the central office,” COO Whartenby said.
The district will receive and award bids for the Family Engagement & Resource Center this month.
Construction also is slated to begin this month and will be complete by December of next year, per requirements of the grant for the project.
As for the new K-8 East Side school, the $136 million project is in the design phase.
The district is on track to start the bidding phase in March and site development in April.
The 195,000-square-foot, theme-based school is planned to open for the 2027-28 school year on the former Allentown State Hospital property.
An Act 34 hearing, required by state law, will be held next month to discuss the construction of the K-8 school.
It will be at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 in Community Services for Children, 1520 Hanover Ave.
