MILL HALL, Pa. — Right now, the community pool in Mill Hall remains empty. Over the course of the next month, borough employees will begin patching up cracks along the pool wall so it can open on time this year.
"We're working on the pool to do some normal annual repairs. Patching of some holes, and we are going to put some paint down and do a few other minor things, and then we will be ready to fill it up for the summer," said Rainelle Wallace of Mill Hall Park & Recreation.
"We're inching an old pool along and trying to be successful with good swimming in our pool again this year," said Mill Hall Mayor Tom Bossert.
Officials tell Newswatch 16 that patching up the walls of the 50-year-old pool is only a temporary fix for the summer. However, the long-term goal is to make complete repairs and restorations with the help of a feasibility study.
"The whole purpose of the feasibility study is to give us different scenarios of changes we can make to the pool, so it is better suited to the community and have a higher attendance rate. Also to advise potential costs for admission," said Wallace.
"Our intention on council and as the mayor is to make sure this functions and to go forward from this point," said Bossert.
Currently, the Mill Hall Pool has only 13 of the required 16 lifeguards needed to open the pool full-time in early June.
"If you're interested in being a lifeguard and working for the Mill Hall Pool, all you have to do is reach out to our Mill Hall borough secretary and get an application and submit it for review. You definitely have to be certified to be a lifeguard," said Wallace.
Officials tell Newswatch 16 that if they do manage to fill all the lifeguard spots, there is a possibility the pool could open for night swimming this year.