I remember the picture postcard racks in the dime stores on Hamilton Street. They were full of postcards of the Allentown parks, including the rose garden, and along the different creeks. The card shown above is the former Fountain Park Pool, now closed for many years. Although most of my swims took place at Cedar Beach Pool, our gang would visit the other four pools when one of us could borrow the family car.
Over the years our different pools have been closed for different excuses. The Fountain Park pool shown above was closed because supposedly the filter broke, and it would cost $170K to fix. Allentown is now spending over half a $mil on a cement skateboard bowl at Jordan Park, while the park's swimming pool is shuttered.
I understand that the swimming pools are expensive to maintain. I understand that finding lifeguards isn't easy, and that the pools may require more oversight than in previous years. BUT... swimming pools on hot summer days should be a city recreation department 101.
MM you probably won't get more than 6 comments on your post with which I wholeheartedly agree. Communities are closing pools and with that, they close opportunity for social engagement. I recall young moms making new friends as they talk of their infants habits. Young dads conversing about their favorite sport teams. Kids daring each other to create the biggest splash cannonballs in the pool. People talking over local happenings or their book title they are reading. People relaxing and unwinding. Soaking and watching others.
ReplyDeleteFinance the pool and work on increasing its use. Create small sections to soak or lap swim . Investigate offering a water walk program or aerobics.
All spray parks do is have kids screech as they run uncontrolled through the water. No social negotiations. No self control. No physical skills.thumbs down on splash pads. Stay home and let the fire fighters hose you down from the hydrants.
There are many arguments against closing pools, but diminished social engagement isn’t one of them.
DeleteYou could have a pool on every corner in Allentown, and almost everyone there will be preoccupied with their phones. At best, the only social interaction to occur would be to inadvertently end up in the background of somebody’s sefie.
“... swimming pools on hot summer days should be a city recreation department 101.”
DeleteMaybe, but it really depends how they are run.
My family used to get season passes and use the pools often. Then someone in City Hall got the bright idea to allow everyone in the city to enter for free once it got above a certain temperature.
That’s great, but it really doesn’t make much sense to buy season passes when on the hottest days - the days you want it the most - you have to get into the pool like a bunch of cattle at a watering trough.
Maybe the fact that the pools get crowded on hot days is a sign of potential demand for more pools, but when was the last time our city leaders tried to give us more, instead of something less?
“The Fountain Park pool shown above was closed because supposedly the filter broke, and it would cost $170K to fix.”
DeleteWasn’t there also an issue with city thugs, I mean juvenile delinquents, I mean youth repeatedly throwing bottles into the pool? I seem to remember the pool needing to be closed several times a season and drained so the broken glass could be cleaned properly.
@12:47PM
DeleteThe APD and the administration lacked the imagination and will power to address a simple issue regarding small a handful of vandals.
In the early 90s Allentown still had 8 pools.
ReplyDelete- Cedar Beach
- Jordan
- Mack
- Rosevelt
- Bucky Boyle
- Irving
- Keck
- Fountain
Competition from Wild Water Kingdom at Dorney negatively impacted city pools.
ReplyDeleteWhy the people just bathe in the river and pollute it. City parks director does do her job. The mayor cares more about flags, and the chief doesn't know what to do. Basically you are wasting your time with this article. The city is falling apart quickly.
ReplyDelete