Kepler Pool at Governors Park in Bellefonte is in need of some major repairs, and a potential $300,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may be the only hope for it being open past this year.
The Nittany Valley Joint Recreation Authority is asking for the grant to make improvements to the 47-year-old pool, which has gone well past its 30-year life expectancy. The NVJRA is working with Spring, Benner and Walker townships, along with Bellefonte Borough, to find a solution for the pool. The authority has received letters of commitment from the four communities providing $300,000 for pool improvements, but the grant money is needed to address long-term concerns.
“We have a lot of issues at the pool and face a lot of challenges,” said NVJRA representative Mike Bonchack. “The pool we have has a laundry list of problems. We have had pump failures, filtration problems and plumbing issues. We have reached critical mass on all these issues.”
The pool has been known to leak significantly, so the plumbing and a new liner for the pool will be large part of the cost, said Bonchack. “The water is known to be pretty cold, because we have to keep putting so much water into it due to the leaks.”
Kepler Pool is the only community pool in the Bellefonte area and is managed by the Centre County YMCA. A typical summer sees more than 10,000 swimmers use the pool, and the YMCA’s involvement offers a chance for all community members to use the facility. The Bellefonte YMCA Sting Ray Swim team also uses the pool for practices and meets.
According to Bonchack, it would be a huge loss to the community if something is not done. “The YMCA is an organization that does not turn people away, so this is important. It gives people access to this community resource that might not be able to afford it.”
The NVJRA has the funds to keep the pool up and running this summer, but without the grant money the future after that is uncertain. The Centre County Board of Commissioners agreed to offer its support for the grant, which already was being supported by state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner Township.
Commissioner Steve Dershem remembers swimming at Kepler Pool as a youth.
“I was there on the first day it was opened, and I have swam there quite a bit. I was out there a couple years ago and I can attest that it does need some TLC,” said Dershem. “I think this is a viable use of funds and a tremendous addition to the Bellefonte community. I don’t think there is a viable community out there that doesn’t have a swimming pool.”
Dershem also touted the pool as a safe place for kids to be over the summer, as opposed to swimming in dangerous quarries.
If the grant is received, the pool will be fixed and able to run as is for the foreseeable future, but Bonchack said it would be nice if improvements could be made to the pool to make it more child-friendly. In 2014, there was a plan to renovate the pool with a yearly $20 tax increase in the four Bellefonte area communities, but it was not passed and the pool has continued to decay since. Bonchack hopes that, along with the grant, maybe some fundraisers can be done to make the pool an even better part of the community.
“It would be nice to be able to upgrade and give the community a nice, updated facility to use in the summer,” he said. “But, hopefully, we can get this grant and get the ball rolling.”
