Council Criticized for Raising Residents' Pool Rates

At a meeting Aug. 6, a Hellertown resident shared strong words with borough council about recently increased daily admission rates at the .

Christine Bauer, of New York Avenue, said residents have been negatively impacted by ; a decision council made in mid-July, .

"I think you guys are punishing the Hellertown residents and it’s not fair," Bauer said. "I think when the decision was made, the entire picture was not looked at."

She told council that she would like rates to return to what they were for residents, which was $5 for an adult day pass and $4 for a child day pass.

Councilwoman Gail Nolf said others have also complained about the increased rates, and that a committee will be established in the off-season to revise, review and re-establish admission rates for next year.

She told Bauer that one of the logistical issues that needs to be examined is how to determine who lives in Hellertown or Lower Saucon Township versus outside .

Lower Saucon Township helps to support the pool financially.

"There is no Lower Saucon (address on a) license," councilman Tom Rieger said. "So it's not as simple as looking at an ID."

He also said that behavioral issues helped prompt the decision.

"There was behavior that they did not want there," Rieger said. "So we reacted to that."

Council vice president John Bate told Bauer he agreed with her assessment of the impact on residents, but said he expects residents' rates to go down next year.

"This is going to be one of the biggest things we're going to work on," he said.

Bate also noted that Hellertown is not the only local community to recently raise its pool fees.

However, he questioned the manner in which the matter was addressed.

"I kind of resent it that (the decision) got this high," he said. "It should have stopped at the lower levels, at the management level."

There will not be any more rate changes this year, he and other council members confirmed, to Bauer's dismay.

"Well, (the pool) is going to be empty for the rest of the summer," she said in concluding her remarks.

In response to a question about pool attendance figures since rates went up July 21, council president Phil Weber confirmed that they "are down."

Specific attendance totals were not discussed, and neither Public Works Director Tom Henshaw nor Pool Manager Ed Kolosky was at the meeting to offer additional insight.

The Hellertown Pool will close for the season on Sunday, Aug. 26.