A $500,000 state grant will help fund restoration efforts at the Boyertown Community Pool, bringing the facility closer to reopening in May 2027.
State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) visited Boyertown Community Park on Tuesday, October 27, to announce the funding alongside members of the Friends of the Boyertown Community Pool, a volunteer organization working to restore the facility.
The grant, provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), will be used specifically for repairs to the pool. Separately, the Friends of the Boyertown Community Pool has raised approximately $400,000 through community fundraising efforts over the past year, according to Boyertown Mayor Lori Carnes. Those funds will be used to improve the surrounding grounds and other areas of the facility.
Carnes, who also serves on the pool committee, said the combination of state funding and community donations will allow the organization to move forward with a more complete restoration than initially anticipated.
“This puts us in a position to not only fix the pool, but help with bathroom upgrades and concession stand upgrades and around the pool,” Carnes said.
James Mull, president of the Friends of the Boyertown Community Pool, said the additional funding will allow the committee to accomplish its restoration goals and prepare for a reopening in May 2027.
“It just makes things a little bit easier and allows us to concentrate more on getting the upgrades for the bathhouse and for the snack bar and stuff, which we were hesitant on going forward until we could see the money there,” Mull said. “So it’s a big shot in the arm for the project.”
Pennycuick said securing the funding was a priority because of the pool’s longstanding role as a gathering place for families in the Boyertown area.
“This pool is such an integral part of this community, and it’s a place for the families to make memories with their children,” Pennycuick said.
The senator said she wanted to help secure enough funding to complete the necessary repairs and reopen the pool as quickly as possible, rather than addressing the restoration in smaller stages.
“This is one of my top priorities, is to make sure that communities have what they need to be a community,” Pennycuick said.
For local residents, the pool has served as more than a place to cool off during the summer. Carnes recalled visiting the pool during her childhood and emphasized its importance as a supervised recreational space for residents of all ages.
The Olympic-sized pool has historically accommodated swim teams, swimming lessons, water aerobics and other recreational activities. Carnes said the facility has provided opportunities for families, children and individuals to participate in outdoor recreation.
“It’s an Olympic-sized pool. There aren’t Olympic-sized pools anymore. So this one was worth saving,” Carnes said.
Mull echoed those sentiments, noting that the community has come to recognize the importance of the pool during its absence.
“They didn’t realize how much they relied on this pool in the summertime for recreation,” Mull said. “They realized what they had when it was gone.”
Mull also noted that local daycare programs, including those operated by the YMCA, previously used the facility. Other childcare providers have expressed interest in using the pool once it reopens.
With the state funding secured and community fundraising already underway, the organization is now focused on completing the restoration and preparing the pool for the summer 2027 season.
Pennycuick said the investment is about preserving a community resource that can continue serving generations of families.
“Years later, those kids are going to remember going to the community pool,” she said. “So, I mean, that is a legacy for a community, is to have the community pool.”
