Politics & Government

Splash Pad Site Work Compared to Archaeology

Hellertown Public Works Director Tom Henshaw explained some of the challenges he and his staff have encountered as they prepare to install a splash pad at the borough swimming pool.

The that is scheduled to open at the Hellertown Pool next summer has already turned out to be more difficult to install than originally expected, Public Works Director Tom Henshaw explained at Borough Council's Nov. 7 meeting.

Henshaw and public works employees have begun pre-construction site work to ensure that the recreational water feature is operational by the time the pool opens in June. 

Comparing the site preparation now taking place to an "archeological dig that's getting worse by the minute," Henshaw told council that an old kiddie pool has been unearthed, and that an artesian well 150 feet beneath the site surface has made the work especially challenging.

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A drain that should allow water from the well to drain away from the area is blocked, which has necessitated the use of a sump pump, he said.

"We think when they demolished the culvert they blocked up the drain, so that's why the drain doesn't work," Henshaw theorized.

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Without the drain, the use of a sump pump is "the only way we can keep the dig site from flooding," he added.

According to Henshaw, it was fortunate that the kiddie pool was uncovered, since it could have caused "a big problem later."

Part of the splash could have collapsed if the ground underneath it were weakened by the old pool structure, he explained.

The splash pad will feature numerous fountain jets that will intermittently squirt water, and will serve as as play area for young children when completed.


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