Reading is moving ahead with a $4.53 million transformation of the former Hillside Pool property into a splash park and recreation complex, with construction expected to be completed by Memorial Day.
City Council on Sept. 14 approved a $4.531 million contract with Flyway Construction for the project, which includes a 5,500-square-foot splash pad, renovations to existing buildings and the basketball court, off-street parking and accessibility improvements.
The project has been in the works for about two years and was delayed by two fires at the property, said David W. Anspach III, city capital projects manager.
The most recent, an April 28 arson, was the second fire at the site. It damaged the former pool house and forced the city’s design engineer to conduct a new structural analysis to determine whether the building could be repaired as originally planned.
A fire intentionally set April 28 at the former Hillside Pool property delayed a planned splash park at the city-owned site. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
The setbacks contributed to a significant change in the project schedule, Anspach said. The city had anticipated completing the splash park this year.
The city acquired the former Hillside Pool Association property in 2019 after it had fallen into disrepair. What began as plans for a relatively small splash pad grew after the city secured additional federal funding, Anspach said.
The city initially committed $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act money and later received about $1.96 million through the federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. The city will contribute another $568,961 toward the project.
Anspach said the splash pad will feature 22 water attractions divided into three play areas, ranging from gentle sprays for younger children to water-war features and dump buckets for older children.
The expanded project also calls for renovations to the pavilion, restrooms, offices, concession stand and basketball court, along with five party decks, a shade pergola, tiered hillside seating, two off-street parking lots and ADA accessibility throughout the property.
But city officials see Hillside as more than a summertime water attraction.
“The project was envisioned to provide the next-level event space,” Anspach said. “So not only is it a splash pad, but it also serves as a a grounds where other adult-level or ‘tween- and teen-level events can happen.”
Paved areas could accommodate food vendors, small concerts and other activities, allowing the property to host events beyond the splash pad’s traditional Memorial Day-to-Labor Day season.
A conceptual rendering shows how the planned splashpad at the former Hillside Pool site might look.(Courtesy of Reading)
The city also is working on an agreement with the nonprofit Christmas on the Mountain, which operates a holiday lights display free to the public on the adjoining Hillside Playground property. The agreement would allow the organization to expand into the former pool property and use its parking, restrooms and concession facilities.
Tim Profit, the local organizer and financial supporter who helped rescue and expand the annual holiday event, was not immediately available for comment.
Anspach said the gated splash pad is expected to operate under the Reading Recreation Commission using a membership system similar to Schlegel Park Pool. Officials have discussed an annual household fee of about $10 to $15, with the final fee structure still to be determined.
The fee would help offset expenses including staffing, chemicals, electricity and security, he noted.
“We’re not looking to significantly saddle someone,” he said, noting that the goal is a very nominal entry fee for a family that would help the facility support its operating costs.
Christopher Garcia, a resident of Linden Street, spoke in favor of the project during council’s regular meeting. He said the long-vacant property has attracted trespassers and graffiti.
“I think that this is honestly a really good idea, and I think that it’s important that we develop that area,” he said.
Garcia acknowledged concerns from some neighbors about parking but said leaving the property unused was not a solution.
Other projects
Council also moved forward with improvements to the Canal Street skate park, unanimously accepting a $183,600 state grant and providing a $26,400 city match for the final phase of the project.
The work will include lighting and restrooms and is expected to move forward in the spring.
“That skate park has been amazing to the community,” Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said. “Every time I drive by, it’s been busy.”
A temporary access road to the Egelman Park pond is under construction. Fill will be trucked in to raise the bed of the pond, producing less water pressure against the dam. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Work also is nearing completion at Egelman’s Dam on Hill Road.
Anspach said contractors are bringing in clay to cap the raised pond bottom. The reconstructed pond will have a roughly 4½-foot uniform depth, reducing the dam’s hazard classification while restoring the water body and supporting the Izaak Walton League’s bass hatchery.
Remaining work includes relocating a utility pole and obtaining state Department of Environmental Protection approval for a refilling plan that will maintain water flow downstream.
Anspach said water could begin flowing back into the pond within about 30 days.