Schuylkill Haven youth swim team parents question officials on pool reopening

Sep. 14—Parents and a Schuylkill Haven School District teacher associated with the youth swimming program asked the school board about the state of repairs to the district pool and voiced concerns about having adequate facilities for the upcoming season.

Teacher Jennifer Stauffer asked the board when the repairs would be finished, including plans for the purchase and installation of a new pool heater.

"I want to be told the truth, because I want my kids in the pool," said Stauffer, who has children in the program.

Officials said repairing the heater is the latest in a long list of challenging repairs needed to restore the aging pool to working order.

"It has always been our targeted goal (for the pool) to be ready for our varsity swim season," Superintendent Dr. Shawn Fitzpatrick said.

Stauffer said the youth swim program has looked at using other facilities, such as the YMCA, but costs and scheduling issues have made it difficult.

Stauffer and other parents spoke at the board meeting Wednesday.

"These kids are breaking records," one parent noted. She asked that the board take action to ensure the team can practice.

The youth swim program involves about 30 children across grades K-8 and is looking to start its fall season by mid-October, Stauffer said.

Teri Fegley, whose daughter attends Pine Grove Area School District but uses the Schuylkill Haven facilities, said she was disappointed at the speed of the repairs.

"The pool broke months ago ... I can't wrap my head around why it's taking so long," Fegley said. "I feel a little bit like the swim program is the stepchild."

Fitzpatrick said he took issue with Fegley's characterization of the district's approach.

"I care very deeply about our swimmers, they are just as important to me as any other sport in this school; as a matter of fact, my daughter is one of them," Fitzpatrick said. "(The district) has over a million dollars spent in the last seven years and a half years on that pool ... we didn't spend near that much on the football field."

He said the real issue is that the pool, built in 1969, requires extensive and time-consuming repairs, and many contractors had declined the jobs.

"Everyone else said, 'Don't waste any more money on the pool,' and good local people came through for us," Fitzpatrick said.

He highlighted the efforts of Jeff Grube from Bear Creek Flooring for assisting with grout removal and repair, and Miller Bros. Construction Inc. for repairing a crack in the pool.

"If it weren't for Grube bumping six different jobs on his list, he wouldn't even get here until November," Fitzpatrick said. "I begged him. He's in here on Saturdays, Sundays, to get this done for us. No one's sitting on their hands."

Officials noted that the roughly 12-foot crack has been filled, but the work to replace the grout around the pool's 800,000 one-inch tiles is still underway.

"It's an unbelievable amount of work," Fitzpatrick noted. He said the grout job should wrap up very soon.

Once the grout is fixed, the plan is to use a backup solar heater to attempt to heat the water to temperatures within regulation limits.

"If that water temperature comes up above 72 degrees, come on in," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitpatrick told Stauffer that the youth program could use the pool if the temperature is up to regulation, and if not, the district could assist with the costs of using another facility.

The main heater itself still needs to be bought and installed — an issue complicated by the size, location and age of the unit, officials said.

"You can't even get the heater anymore, you can't get the filler tanks, it's got to be redesigned," board member Dion Fessler said.

Officials noted that six different companies have noted an interest in bidding on the heater replacement. They said the bid opening will be Oct. 2, and the board has authorized the work to be started immediately if a suitable bid comes in.

Also at the meeting, officials said construction on a greenhouse for school garden programs will begin Oct. 2.

"Our goal has always been to have the greenhouse functioning properly by November. That is still our goal," Fitzpatrick said.

District cheerleading captains told the board about a Universal Cheerleaders Association Cheer Camp that took place at Schuylkill Haven for the first time in 10 years.

The UCA provides cheerleading skills training to more than 180,000 cheerleaders throughout 3,200 sessions across the U.S. every summer.

All district cheerleaders attended the two-day camp in August, and seven of them won All-American Awards, qualifying them to represent Schuylkill Haven at UCA events in Philadelphia, London, Florida and Hawaii.

Winners were Vanessa Bildheiser, Addison Zelinsky, Jenna Bishop, Mina Barket, Cadence Artz, Karissa Kerschner and Nora Stoyer.