Hatboro YMCA Considers Closing Outdoor Pool
The Hatboro Area YMCA is working to finalize plans involving the closure of its outdoor pool.
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Members and visitors of the Hatboro Area YMCA may have more space to park their cars with the impending closure of the Y's outdoor pool.
YMCA Spokeswoman Omoiye Kinney said the "short-term" option should the Hatboro Y shutter its outside pool, would be to expand the existing parking lot to the area now encompassed by the pool.
"All of the details have not yet been finalized," Kinney told Patch, adding that for the long-term, "we'd be able to expand the facility."
Kinney said the end result when a YMCA in the northeast closed its outdoor pool was an added 3,000 square feet.
News of the pool's closure was announced during a Hatboro Borough Council meeting last week. Initially, YMCA representatives told Patch that the "announcement" regarding the pool's future was not ready.
This week, Kinney told Patch that efforts were being made to accommodate members who use the outdoor pool.
"We need to be able to communicate to our members," Kinney said. "We want to have a finalized plan in place. We want to be able to give them some viable options."
Hatboro officials met last week with YMCA representatives to determine if having the Hatboro Y manage the Hatboro Memorial Pool would be a possibility.
Hatboro Borough Councilman Mark Sheedy said the YMCA's costs to do that "were a little skewed, a little high for us."
"Right now as it stands we are not going to use the Y to manage the pool," Sheedy said. "We felt that we could do a better job managing the pool by ourselves this year."
Sheedy said he was making an effort to accommodate the Hatboro Y's swim team, the Hurricanes. That had not yet been finalized, he said.
Kinney said the swim team would still have access to and be able to use the Hatboro branch's indoor swimming pool.
In This article
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Hatboro Area YMCA
440 S York Rd, Hatboro, PA -
Hatboro Memorial Pool
West Moreland Avenue, Hatboro, PA
Christina
10:12 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
That would stink for the summer camp kids who enjoy the outdoor pool. I think that would actually be a decision for me NOT to send my kids there for camp.
Tippetsnapper
10:33 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I agree with you Christina, seems like the Y is giving up too much just to gain 10 parking spots. Perhaps the cost of running the pool is driving its closure, not the stated benefit of additional parking.
Patti Leamon
11:15 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
this is awful !!!!!!!!!! My family spends many summer afternoons at the outdoor pool. It would be sad to have to take my membership elsewhere. :(
Neli Medvedevu
1:36 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Why this right now? So everybody from the area will be forced to pay to use Ambler Outdoor pool if they want to use a pool on summer? Very convenient for Y...
Ezra Williams
4:38 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Guess I won't be jumping their fence on hot summer nights to grab a free swim any more.
Daniella
8:17 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
This would also factor into my decision on whether to send my kids to summer camp there, where they've gone for past 2 years! ughhh... Doesn't seem worth it for a few more parking spots...
Cora Rowe
8:27 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Seems like it would have been a good idea to meet with the members who use the pool to get their input. When you make big changes like this you tend to give people a bad attitude.
AB
8:21 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
Please don't let the Y take over the Hatboro Pool! The Hatboro Storm Swim Team is the best and if the Y takes over it will be gone. My kids have so many great memories at the Hatboro Pool and if the Y takes over I am really afraid it will be overcrowded. As a Hatboro Pool member please keep it the way it is!
Amy C
9:22 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
They demolished the quaint little pre-school house that both my kids attended. Now they want to turn the outdoor pool into a parking lot? I am not liking the direction of these changes and whatever else may be planned. My family spends their summer days at the Hatboro Memorial Pool for leisure and for the Storm Swim Team. Because it is a public pool we have already experienced overcrowding issues with "non-residents" and non-members. Closing theY pool and essentially shifting its members and swim team to the Hatboro pool can only add to the overcrowding, and, I am guessing that our swim team would be phased out. Please carefully consider the impact you are about to inflict on a close-knit group of 130 Storm swimmers and their families, and, the non swim team members and families who enjoy our pool daily. This is NOT good.
Christina
12:07 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
They also raised the camp fees approx. $40-$50 per week!!! Which, as I understand, now includes before and after care. I chose to adjust my work schedule so I did not have to pay an additional $500.00 for before/after care, and now have to pay it anyway whether I use it or not. That could have paid for a mini-vacation this summer.