Pool Problems Take Center Stage at Council Meeting

A July 16 Hellertown Borough Council discussion about at the was lengthy, emotional and involved staff and pool manager Ed Kolosky, who told council that "negative behaviors (at the pool) are addressed immediately when they're seen."

In light of and , and following feedback from staff in executive session and in public, council ultimately decided to raise daily admission rates and change some pool rules, effective Saturday, July 21.

Daily admission fees will double, increasing from $5 to $10 for adults, and from $4 to $8 for children.

Part of the reason for the increase, council members agreed, is to bring daily admission rates into alignment with those of other nearby public swimming pools.

Mayor Richard Fluck noted that Quakertown charges $12 for daily adult admission and $8 for children at its pool, and Emmaus has increased the daily rate for non-residents to $18 for adults at its pool.

Daily rates will remain the same for both residents and non-residents at the Hellertown Pool.

Council did not discount the possibility of charging different daily rates for non-residents and residents in the future, but cited the potential for confusion over who is a "local" versus a "non-local" resident without an adequate verification system in place.

Lower Saucon Township helps fund the pool's operation, but many of its residents have Bethlehem mailing addresses, council vice president John Bate noted.

Likewise, some residents of Williams Township have Hellertown mailing addresses, although they pay their taxes outside the .

Councilwoman Gail Nolf called the $4 and $5 daily admission rates that have helped attract large crowds in recent weeks "somewhat antiquated."

At the same time, she acknowledged that "Hellertown's pool is a destination pool."

"People come from New Jersey. People come from Allentown," she said.

Nolf, who is a frequent patron of the pool, said she was "glad" that council was having a conversation about the issues that have arisen.

She told Kolosky and more than a dozen lifeguards who attended the meeting that she is sympathetic to the challenges they face as the enforcers of pool rules, and said she has already observed them taking a more aggressive tack in combatting negative behaviors.

She also said many regular pool patrons have been happy with an increased police presence at the pool.

Some of the problems pool staff have had to contend with this season include obnoxious behavior from some patrons, including cursing; and a flagrant disregard by some for pool rules, such as a ban on smoking and a requirement for toddlers to wear waterproof diapers known as "swimmies" when in the pool.

Nolf detailed a recent incident in which a lifeguard blew his whistle to signal a water rescue, but some patrons "refused to get out of the pool."

Others have used foul language in front of small children, and Nolf said she observed a patron being cursed at "for not crossing the street fast enough."

Revisiting the rules and admission rates will help address the behavioral changes that longtime pool users have observed over the past couple of years, she said, and will help local residents "take ownership of what happens there."

In addition to voting to increase daily admission rates, council decided that rain checks will no longer be given if inclement weather cuts swim-time short. Also, there will no longer be discounted admission after 4pm and free admission after 6pm has been abolished.

Citing safety and security concerns, council voted to close the pool's lower side gate to everyone except handicapped individuals and patrons with strollers.

Council also considered banning all outside coolers, but after much discussion voted to prohibit only those coolers that are larger than two feet by two feet by two feet, although several lifeguards advocated against placing restrictions on the coolers.

One guard said many local residents prefer to bring their own coolers in order to have access to healthier snacks than what is available from the pool snack bar, and the expense of feeding an entire family at the snack bar was also cited as a concern.

In a press release issued in the wake of the meeting, the borough announced that "anyone entering the pool is subject to search along with any bags, coolers, and containers. Any illegal weapons, or contraband found will be seized and will result in criminal charges."

Pool patrons will be reminded of the need to exit the pool as fast as safely possible whenever a lifeguard blows three fast consecutive whistles, which is done to indicate that a water rescue is in progress, or if one long whistle is blown.

Council also decreed that signs explaining the whistle rules be posted in both English and Spanish at the pool.

Following the conclusion of this year's swimming season, council said it would re-examine pool rates and rules in depth, possibly with the help of a committee.

Council president Phil Weber said that there appears to be a strong desire among some local residents to return to the days when there was a much more "controlled environment" at the pool.

Decades ago, he said, patrons could not enter the pool if they were not clad in a bathing suit, and the wearing of t-shirts was forbidden in the water.

Coolers were also forbidden at the pool.

"We have to listen to what our taxpayers are saying," Weber said.