The other day I read a scathing column in another newspaper about the City of Troy’s pools being closed for two years. I smugly shook my head and said that could never happen in Bethlehem. Famous last words!
Our pool complex certainly won’t be closed for years, but on the 4th of July the Splash Park – our most popular facility – went down. Of course it did. Murphy’s Law requires that if something bad is going to happen, it will happen on the busiest day of the year.
Here’s what happened. Water from the Splash Park is recirculated, but before it can go back out to the fountains it is sterilized with ultraviolet light. On the 4th, the main electrical panel for this treatment system failed, and since we couldn’t sterilize the water, we couldn’t open the Splash Park.
So, first, my apologies to all the disappointed families. We strive to have all of our facilities be safe – and to be open.
Second, thank you to everyone for your patience. And thank you to all of the Parks and Highway staff who started working on the repairs at 6:30 a.m. on a national holiday.
Happily, the Splash Park, Learn-to-Swim Pool, and Olympic pool are all up and running again. So come cool off and have a great summer everyone!
David VanLuven
Bethlehem Town Supervisor
