Reading officials say a fire intentionally set last week at the former Hillside pool has raised concerns about delays to and funding for a planned splash park at the city-owned site.
City Capital Project Manager David W. Anspach III said the damage to the former pool house, 339 N. 14th St., could complicate the nearly $4 million project.
“Fire not only damages wood components, but it can alter the structural abilities of cinder block and concrete and things of that nature,” he explained, noting the building had been slated for modest repairs as part of the larger plan.
As a result of the April 28 fire, Anspach said, the project’s design engineer has been called back to conduct a full structural analysis of the building to determine whether the original plan can proceed or must be revised.
Reading officials said the pool house at former Hillside pool was expected to receive relatively minor improvements, including new windows, doors and a roof, but those plans are now on hold pending a review following an arson at the site. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
“We’re going to have them do a structural analysis on the building and make sure that what we were planning is going to be good to go,” he said, “or if we have to modify the plans to then go forward with our project.”
Before the fire, Anspach said, the structure was expected to receive relatively minor improvements, including new windows, doors and a roof. Those plans are now on hold pending the outcome of the review, he said.
Anspach said the disruption has already affected the project timeline. The city had recently put the project out to bid, but that process has been halted, he said.
That delay carries financial implications, he said, particularly for the project’s funding sources. Under federal guidelines, about $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funding allocated to the project must be spent by the end of this year.
“That does put us in a little bit of a financial pickle,” Anspach said.
City officials are now exploring options, including requesting an extension or reallocating the funds to another project if necessary, he said.
“Our first option would be, if we can, get an extension on it,” Anspach said. “Our second option is, if we can, flip-flop it for some other project that we currently have city funds on.”
The city purchased the former Hillside pool property in 2019 with plans to replace the long-closed pool with a modern splash pad, cabanas and other amenities to create a family-friendly play area. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
The remainder of the project is tied to a roughly $1.9 million grant through the National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which typically allows a three-year window for completion, Anspach said. That funding provides some flexibility, he noted.
“So there are other opportunities,” he said. “We’re not losing hope, but we are trying to explore every opportunity we have to go forward.”
The city purchased the North 14th Street property in 2019 with plans to replace the long-closed pool with a modern splash pad, cabanas and other amenities to create a family-friendly play area. Other planned improvements include new concession and restroom facilities, on-grade parking and full ADA accessibility.
Organizers of the Christmas on the Mountain display are offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads an arrest in the arson at the former Hillside pool property. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Officials said crews were dispatched to the scene at 12:38 p.m. last Tuesday after smoke was reported coming from the building.
Lt. Trent Zulick of the city fire marshal’s office said the fire was set in the room where swimmers would enter the pool complex.
Investigators are gathering footage from cameras in the area to try to identify the arsonist, he said.
The fire is still under investigation.
Reward offered
Organizers of the Christmas on the Mountain display are offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads an arrest, said Tim Profit, president of the Savage Auto Group and lead organizer of annual holiday event on the former pool site.
Profit said he and others behind the event learned of the fire after intruders triggered a security alarm at the building,
“It’s disheartening,” he said, noting sponsors Savage and Axcess Industries and other supporters spend about $100,000 each year to maintain and upgrade more than a million lights and other decorations for the free event.
Students from the Reading High School Marine Corps JROTC unit and other volunteers spend countless hours setting up the display, Profit said, beginning each year in October,.
Unfortunately, he said, vandalism of the display and property have increased in recent years.
“It’s definitely wearing on us,” he said.
Profit asks anyone with information on the fire to message the Reading’s Christmas on the Mountain Facebook page. Tips will be forwarded to Reading police, he said.