SCRANTON, Pa. — The view from Skycam 16 reveals the state of Nay Aug Park's popular slide pool. The whole pool complex has been closed for the past year due to the pandemic.
Now, the results of a study on the pool's base mean it won't open again this summer.
An engineering firm discovered the same kinds of problems in the slide pool as were discovered a few years ago in the adjacent pool. The study says fixing the slide pool alone would cost $1.6 million and suggests that an overhaul of the whole complex would probably be best.
"I'm actually very disappointed having used the pool in the past, obviously not last year," said Friday Weeks. "We were just talking about it, and I was very excited to be able to use it this year, only just now finding out that it's not opening."
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti says keeping Nay Aug's pools closed for 2021 is disappointing, but she supports a long-term solution and is looking for public input on how to redo the pool complex.
"We want to make sure that whatever we're investing in is something that people want to use for decades to come. We have a lot of work to do, but it's exciting work. It's really difficult. This whole year has been difficult, right? We've had to close recreational facilities. We've had to back up projects and not do as much as we wanted to, but the most important thing is that we're using taxpayer dollars efficiently," Mayor Cognetti said.
Visitors to Nay Aug Park believe the pools are a good use of their city taxes.
"I think that there are enough people who don't have the facilities like they have offered here to take advantage of it," Lynn Pearl said.
"With COVID-19, our kids need somewhere to be outside that's in a somewhat controlled environment and inexpensive, with the current economy, absolutely," Nicole Welk said.
City officials say there should be some options for eager swimmers this summer. Mayor Cognetti says she hopes to be able to open some of Scranton's free neighborhood pools like Weston Park in the north end, Weston Field in the Providence section, or Connell Park pool in Southside.
The Novembrino Park splash pad is also under construction and is expected to be complete this summer.