In many places, a community swimming pool is a popular gathering spot in the Summer for families and kids.
In Centre County, a new effort is underway to raise funding to renovate a regional pool site that was a Summer hot spot for decades.
Near Bellefonte, the Kepler Pool was closed last year and probably will be for awhile. It wasn’t always this way. The pool opened in 1971
“Its been a staple for the Bellefonte community for fifty some years. it really does need a lot of work.the standard it was built to and the standards that are prevalent today are galaxies apart”
Problems at the pool building up for years. Many of the pumps and related machinery as old as the facility itself. Plans surfaced- for a redesign makeover refurbishing in hopes of getting the pool open this Summer.
Fund raising through grants and elsewhere brought in close to $670,000.00.
But then
“Covid hit, prices increased, various other transactions occurred and by the time we got the bid requests out,bids were coming in at $1.8 million, $2 million dollars, really significantly more than we had”
So now, a new round of funding applications and fundraisers for Kepler Pool hoping to prevent a permanent closure
“Its going to need the support of local government, it going to need the support of citizens and folks that are interested in the recreation of our kids.it is really the only pool available in a multi township, borough area”