TAMAQUA — Tamaqua is making plans to reopen the H.D. Buehler Memorial Pool at Bungalow Park.
During a virtual meeting recently, the borough council hired workers and appointed a vendor to oversee the concession stand.
David Funk will lease the stand, according to solicitor Anthony Odorizzi.
Under the agreement, he’ll provide a security deposit, pay for utilities and propane, and keep the stand open for designated hours, Odorizzi noted.
No vendor operated the stand for the 2020 season.
The council appointed Ben Turrano and Ethan Turrano as assistant pool managers at $15 per hour and Hailey Toth as head lifeguard at $11 per hour.
A number of lifeguards were hired at $11 per hour, and three clerks will earn $10 per hour for the upcoming season.
The pool is scheduled to open May 29. Under current health regulations because of the pandemic, capacity will be capped at 250 patrons.
Ann Marie Calabrese, director of community development, noted that she is organizing a cleanup at Bungalow Park from 2 to 4 p.m. May 1.
In an unrelated matter, the council approved a proposal from Lancer Systems to purchase four defense rifle packages at a cost of $6,396.
“However, the approximate cost is $4,000 to the borough” because of a private donation to the police department, along with funds from the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s office, Councilman Brian Connely said.
He noted that the department was also hoping to cover some of the price by selling old police rifle parts, which are valued at about $1,250.
“That’s not guaranteed but they’re going to try to get that in to try and offset the costs, because we all know from reading the news and whatnot that weapon purchases aren’t getting any cheaper,” he said. “In fact, they’re going in the opposite direction. We are in need of an upgrade due to the age of our weapons.”
In other police business, the council requested that the Civil Service Commission conduct a police officer exam and prepare an eligibility list with a minimum of three candidates.
The council also voted to advertise for a stop sign for westbound traffic on Brown Street at the Pitt Street intersection.
“I couldn’t believe we didn’t have a sign there to start with,” Councilman Ritchie Linkhorst said.
Jill Whalen is a staff writer at the Hazleton Standard-Speaker who began her career as a correspondent for the newspaper’s former Shenandoah office and as an editorial assistant in Hazleton. She was the sole reporter at the Standard-Speaker’s Tamaqua bureau until its merger with the Pottsville Republican-Herald. Since then, she has worked in the Hazleton office primarily as a features writer. Whalen resides in Schuylkill County. Contact her at jwhalen@standardspeaker.com or 570-501-3592.
