Construction equipment has been the norm at the Shoemakersville Swimming Pool, 1003 Main Street, for over six months. Pool Supervisor Amy Botwright said as of April 16 the $620,000 renovation project is on schedule and the Shoey pool will open on time for the summer season.
The footprint of the 250,000-gallon pool is the same, but the structure will have fresh concrete throughout, new coping stones along the edges and replaced sidewalks around the water. Electrical systems will also be upgraded.
Botwright grew up in Shoemakersville and swam at the pool her whole life. She worked as a life guard in the 1990s, then transitioned into management.
“The pool was built in 1968, so this is the 50th anniversary year,” she said, noting that the original ground breaking was on Feb. 14 and the pool originally opened on June 9, a four-month timeline that sounds impossible by today’s standards.
“As a part of the [current] renovation, there will be an ADA [Americans with Disability Act] stair case,” Botwright said, with stairs which are wider than the previous structure, and “we’re also getting an ADA lift.”
The pool will keep its two existing bath/changing rooms, but this summer a third, handicapped-accessible room will be added to the property. Also planned are a new diving board and, once fundraising is completed, some sliding boards as well.
In preparation for the project, the pool closed early at the end of the 2017 summer season, with ground broken for the renovation in the fall. Currently, workers are completing various elements of the project in time for a scheduled opening date of Saturday, May 26.
“We always open the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend,” Botwright said.
The current Shoey pool renovation is the first major project since 1968, and the work on-site now represents 10 years of planning and preparation. First up, Botwright said, was a feasibility study, required to apply for a grant and showing that the cost was justified.
Once the study was done, the resulting proposal was for a $620,000 project, and a grant for half that amount was awarded by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The remaining $310,000 was the responsibility of the community.
“Since then, we’ve been doing some fundraising,” Botwright said. “The [Shoemakersville] borough agreed to help as well. We see it as an investment in the community.”
Botwright says she is among many who gathered each year at the Shoey pool, and she looks forward to continuing the tradition with her own family.
“What do I enjoy? It’s the kids,” she said, adding that she tries to find time to teach some of the swimming lessons each summer. “It’s rewarding to see the kids grow and develop skills over time.”
An official ribbon cutting at the Shoemakersville Pool is scheduled for Saturday, June 9. This is the actual 50th anniversary for the community pool.
