A religious education center aims to add more recreational options on its South Abington Twp. property.
The Abington Center for Education seeks a variance to build two in-ground pools, totaling approximately 3,234 square feet, adjacent to the existing student recreation center on its 114-acre property at 538 Venard Road. The application lists the pools as an accessory use to the existing student center.
They will be surrounded by a concrete deck and enclosed by a 5-foot fence with a latch, which will be locked when an attendant isn’t present, according to the application. The plans also call for landscaping and a floodlight on the existing building.
The pools will be located about 450 feet from the nearest property line and about 630 feet from the nearest home on the adjacent property. Pool and camp attendees will use existing parking lots when visiting and will access the pools from Venard Road. No alcoholic beverages, amplified music or jukeboxes will be allowed at the pools, according to the application.
The document states there will be no adverse impact to neighboring buildings on the property or an increased amount of traffic with the addition of the pools, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The request is the latest activity at the site, which was formerly Clarks Summit University. The center purchased the property from the college for $16 million late last year. The university, formerly Baptist Bible College, closed in August 2024.
The zoning board approved a special exception zoning permit and variance submitted by Kalmin Katz of Jackson, New Jersey, for the property last spring. Katz’s requests allow for overnight stays in the dormitories for faculty, students and guests, according to the zoning application submitted to the township, with the center focusing on “educational, emotional, recreational, religious and personal development.”
A pamphlet distributed prior to the board’s decision said the center will offer “faith-based education through various educational activities, including retreats and seminars throughout the year,” adding its operators anticipate hosting local activities on campus and making the recreation center available to community organizations.
Jim Tressler, the attorney who represented Katz at the hearing, said the center had leased the property from Clarks Summit University since late June and hosted camps for boys and girls over the summer.
Katz said last year he envisions the site being used for education, sports, seminars and summer camps for boys and girls ages 14 to 18 from the mid-Atlantic region. He said the campus is a beautiful place for community events, and he is interested in reaching out to the township to host such events on the property, which has 18 buildings — including 12 dormitories, classrooms and a recreation center — recreational areas and athletic fields.
The property is used as a camp for religious activities, the application states. It adds the pools will enhance the essential character of the educational campus for attendees and not adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood.
The township’s zoning hearing board will hold a public hearing on the request April 9 at 6:30 p.m.