Nazareth Council Creates Pool Committee

There may be no more pool in Nazareth. But now there's a pool committee.

Nazareth Borough Council approved a motion Monday night for the formation of a pool committee — actually a Pool Focus Group — that will help provide input and direction as Nazareth tries to replace its closed 74-year-old municipal pool.

Councilman Christian Audenried was named to oversee the committee and serve as liaison to council.

Audenried said the committee will decide at its first meeting—which has yet to be scheduled—whether to open the meetings to the public.

The committee members are: Harry Adams, Amy Lutte, Donald Keller, Keith Knecht, Erin Bowers, Frank Frey and Jeanette Hartzell, who is the borough's pool/park/summer rec program director.

Council President Dan Chiavaroli said he could have made the group bigger, but opted for a small group, joking a larger group might not even be able to decide what kind of pizza to order.

Adams, a former school board member, said he was happy to be on board.

"A lot of elected officials have their own agenda," Adams said at the meeting. "When I serve on this committee, I want input from the people. I have an agenda for the people."

This group will be in charge of helping formulate a replacement for the shuttered pool. Costs for a new pool and bathhouse are estimated at around $5.5 million.

Resident Toni Hummel complained about the selection of the committee members.

"You don't have the general public," she said. "You don't have any kids who go there."

Hummel mentioned that her daughter would have been an ideal candidate since she is a swimmer and also a member of her school's student government. She said her daughter even came up with a fundraiser for the pool.

"These teenagers have ideas," she said. "This is an opportunity for them to do something positive."

Mayor Carl Strye Jr. said all ideas will be welcomed.

"Feel free to share whatever ideas," Strye said, "Don't be shy. You can voice your ideas here."

Strye said the pool committee was formed to be a town effort.

"It's a group effort," the mayor said. "Not a council effort."

Councilwoman Cynthia Werner said she was "hesitantly voting yes."

"I felt it was not an appropriate mix of citizens," Werner said. "But since we're making this open to the public, let them sit in and have input."

Councilman Jack Herbst voted against the motion.