Pools too popular? Lansdale sees a shortage of pool chairs

LANSDALE — A sweltering summer has brought up a new discussion for Lansdale’s parks and recreation committee.

What to do about a shortage of chairs at the town’s two pools?

“I’ve been going to both pools all my life, and last year I was one of the first ones there, at noon. It’s like a running joke, how you can never get a chair,” said councilwoman Carrie Hawkins Charlton. “And it would be a miracle if you got a table.”

In mid-June borough parks and recreation staff opened the town’s two pools, at Fourth Street and Whites Road Parks, and since then both pools have been open seven days a week, weather permitting. During the July 5 parks and recreation committee meeting, parks director Courtney Meehan reported on large crowds that turned out for July 4, and Hawkins Charlton and councilman BJ Breish said they were part of those crowds, and noticed a familiar problem.

“I was one of those folks standing in line, ten minutes before it opened, because I knew it would be busy. And the gentleman in front of us had a stack of a week’s worth of towels that he brought with him, just one person,” Breish said.

“He went in and put one towel on each chair, and took six chairs, plus a bench — I guess he was having a family gathering, but the family didn’t come until later? Literally, the first maybe ten people at the pool had all of the chairs,” he said, and Hawkins Charlton added, “That’s how it’s always been.”

Meehan said she and parks staff have been removing chairs from circulation as they fail or are damaged, but have not replaced any recently, and have found quoted prices of roughly $400 each for replacement chairs, and roughly $1,000 for a new table.

“To order 15 to 20 chairs for each pool is a huge expense, especially when we already have so many other things we have to take care of,” she said.

Other pool-related projects on the department’s to-do list include converting lights inside the pool restrooms to LEDs, repainting and overhauling the changing rooms at Fourth Street, and a major replastering of the Whites Road pools tentatively planned for 2024, the last of which has an estimated price tag of roughly $250,000 to $300,000, Meehan told the committee.

“There’s a lot of facility improvements that need to happen at the pools first, I think. I can’t justify spending $15,000 to $20,000 on chairs now,” she said.

Hawkins Charlton said she brought a friend from out of town to the borough’s pool on July 4, who was surprised to learn of the town’s policy to let swimmers bring their own chairs.

“They were like, ‘What do you mean, we have to bring our own chairs?’ It was beyond their comprehension,'” she said.

The councilwoman then asked if staff could look into ways to better publicize that attendees should bring their own chairs, including when they register or pay for their memberships, and suggested staff look at shifting chairs from a relatively underused baby pool to the main pool area. Breish asked if any pool rules could be changed too, to discourage reserving chairs early.

“I just thought it was silly, and unfair. If we’re not replacing them — it just seems like a quality of life thing, a customer service thing,” he said.

Hawkins Charlton added that she’d rather add more tables to the pools than chairs, since more people could sit at a table at once. Meehan answered that she’s been trying to balance several increasing expenses, including higher costs for chemicals such as chlorine, and wage increases for lifeguards to watch those who swim, not those who sit.

“We can hope people aren’t rude, and going and reserving chairs for their family who aren’t there — but there really isn’t a way to police that,” she said.

Breish added that he thought pool staff were “phenomenal” in keeping the pools safe, especially over the holiday weekend, and Meehan said the pools will likely close earlier on the July 4 holiday in 2024 so lifeguards can spend time with their families. Hawkins Charlton said she thought the total cost for a pool membership, which ranges from $55 for a senior age 60+ to $325 for a household of eight or more persons, was still a bargain.

“For the amount of money you’re spending, for a family membership, for all summer, you can’t beat it. You can’t even go to the ballpark three times for that kind of money. I think it’s one of the best deals going,” she said.

Breish then asked about a way to offset that cost for those who can’t afford it: could the borough offer pool memberships or passes at the Lansdale Public Library, similar to museum passes for local attractions?

“This would be for a family that would like to go to the pool, but maybe can’t afford to do so? Maybe there’s a pass or two they can check out, to use to go the pool. Or maybe somebody from our senior community, maybe they don’t have air conditioning, and it’s 94 degrees outside,” he said.

Meehan said she’d look into the logistics and legalities of doing so, and said local businesses could help sponsor the costs of those passes. Hawkins Charlton asked if those could take the form of QR codes usable on phones, instead of a tangible pass that would need to be returned to the library, and Meehan said she’d look into details. Resident Dominic Vasturia said he enjoyed having new shade covers installed at Fourth Street to keep swimmers out of the direct sun, and suggested staff look into adding benches at the pools instead of chairs or tables.

“I was a lifeguard forever, and that was all we had,” he said.

Councilman Mark Ladley asked for an update on the pool’s snack stands, which the borough announced in early June will be operated by North Wales-based Little’s Ice Cream and Water Ice, but have yet to open. Meehan answered that the stands and company are ready to go, but awaiting final approvals from Montgomery County’s health department before they can open, and an alternative could appear soon.

“Littles will be setting up a trailer in the pool area, hopefully in the next couple of days, so you should be able to purchase food through the trailer,” Meehan said.

And one new addition is now on the calendar for the Fourth Street pool: the town’s first-ever ‘Puppy Plunge’ has been scheduled for August 23rd, with dogs under 30 pounds able to take a swim starting at 5 p.m. and larger dogs at 6:15 p.m. — “and we’ll be accepting pet food donations during that event for Manna on Main Street,” Meehan said.

Lansdale’s parks and recreation committee next meets at 7:30 p.m. on August 2 and full council next meets at 7 p.m. on July 19, both at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.