WAYNESBORO – Borough of Waynesboro officials will make a big splash when reconstruction of Northside Pool is complete next year.
The nearly $2 million in upgrades, which started after Labor Day, are expected to be finished by May 2026 and the pool will be open for the season, according to Jason Stans, borough manager.
“There is a trend nationwide for municipalities to close their pools. They are costly to maintain, but provide a vital service for recreation and swim instruction, a life skill that everyone should have,” Stains said. “These repairs are necessary to keep the pool open and should last another 20 to 25 years.”
All State Technology Inc. was the lowest bidder for the project at a cost of $1,935,000. Funding will come from over $950,000 in invested pool reserve funds, and a $1 million grant provided by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, US Department of Interior and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, he noted.
The reconstruction project will include:
- Resurfacing the floor and walls of the pool
- New main drains in the 12 foot section and at the water slide
- Resurfacing the water slide
- Resizing the bulkhead adjacent to the water slide
- Installation of new concrete decking around the pool
- New skimmers for circulation
- New pumps, filters, and chemical feed system
- Pool piping improvements
- Installation of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ramp at the entrance of the facility.
The water leaking hit a high of 11,000 gallons per day three years ago, Stains said. “Before the 2024 season, we patched some areas of the pool where we thought leakage was occurring and dropped usage to around 5,000 gallons per day. We know that usage of water was a result of a combination of bather load and evaporation and leaking.
“We have been losing water and using a lot of chemicals, and our skimmer boxes for recirculating pool water have broken,” he added. “On a few of those boxes, the concrete collapsed around the side of them.” In addition, Stains said, “sections of the pool floor and walls have been popping off. We have been patching those areas each year.”
A major renovation to the pool, which opened in 1973, was conducted in the early 2000s, according to Stains, manager since 2015. “We added the zero entry area, and water features in that area such as a bubbler, several sprinkler features and a raindrop feature. That’s also when we installed a large slide in the 3- to 4-foot depth section and a slide into the (12 foot) deep end.” The project, which cost around $800,000, also included the installation of a bulkhead adjacent to the large slide, which was removed about three years ago for condition issues and will not be replaced as of now. “The company is no longer in business and we can’t buy parts for either slide. We’re evaluating replacing the slide in the 3 to 4 foot depth section at an estimated cost of $200,000 to be funded by pool reserve funds.”
The pool is a vibrant part of the community, Stains said. “We have seen articles about socioeconomic trends and people in urban areas are less likely to know how to swim because municipalities have closed pools and they may not be able to afford a private swim club. That’s why it’s important to keep these pools open, especially in rural areas like ours.
“We receive compliments on the cleanliness of the property and friendliness of our staff. On a hot day, especially on the weekend, there will be 1,000 people in and out, and we know that we have visitors from other places in Pennsylvania, as well as Maryland and West Virginia.
