Local

Borough refunds hundreds of pool passes due to construction delays

WHITEHALL, Pa. — As construction on its new pool continues, Whitehall Borough is meanwhile processing full refunds for more than 800 purchased pool passes.

In an open letter, Whitehall Borough informed citizens that the tentative completion date for the new pool is now July 6 of this year. “The delay in the completion of the project is the responsibility of the General Contractor and its Subcontractors. Since being informed of the delay, the Borough and its project professionals have requested the contractor to pursue means necessary to improve the date of completion.”

On its Facebook page Thursday, the borough informed residents that it had started the refund process. Residents who paid via credit card will be immediately issued refunds. Purchasers who paid by cash or check will receive refunds in the mail.

Meanwhile, pool sales are on pause, and new prices will be discussed at the June council meeting.

Those who purchased water aerobics classes will be refunded as well. Classes will not be rescheduled given the shortened season.

Channel 11 first told you about the opening date’s uncertainty last month, after a councilman made a public post on Facebook, advising residents that the pool’s “new tentative date of completion was now moved to MAYBE June or July.”

Councilman Stone Sobieralski had written that he wanted to “be upfront about the status of the pool,” as season passes were actively being sold.

Channel 11 corresponded with Sobieralski after the open letter was published.

He provided the following statement Thursday:

“The goal of my original Facebook post and news interview with Channel 11 was to be transparent and honest about the pool completion date. The borough recently released a statement corroborating many of the facts I posted about in April - one statement being a tentative completion date of July 7th, 2023. Just like any big project, delays and complications are to be expected. With that being said, I believe the most important thing is to keep our residents aware of what is going on with the project. Whitehall Borough Council is working very hard to keep everybody happy. Pool passes will be refunded and we are thinking of creative ways to address any other problems associated with the pool. Rest assured that at the end of this project we will have a great pool that the community could be very proud of.”

Channel 11 contacted the borough’s mayor on Thursday for a statement as well. In April, Mayor Jim Norwalk attributed Sobieralski’s post to politics, and told Channel 11 that he expected the pool to be open to the community by the start of June.

During a Zoom interview, Mayor Jim Nowalk maintained that he had shared the information that had been provided to him at the time.

“When you interviewed me recently, the information that Whitehall Borough had from the contractor, the construction manager and the surety company was that the pool would open June 1, 2023,” Nowalk said. “I based my prediction on the experts retained by Whitehall Borough, and for reasons only known to the experts, the opening will be delayed.”

Nowalk said that issuing refunds was “the right thing” to do in the meantime.

“Once the pool opens, all that has proceeded in these delays will be forgotten, and everybody will just enjoy the summer in their new municipal pool,” Nowalk said.

In the borough’s open letter to citizens, it states that the project was “constructed in under 2 years, without significant supply chain delays or material shortages,” adding that it was “built and will be maintained without a tax increase.”

The letter further notes that attorneys from the surety company recently “became involved in the project,” and  “the outcome of this matter will involve an assessment of potential damages and potential litigation.”

Channel 11 asked Mayor Nowalk if paying for that litigation could fall on the taxpayers. He stated that it would not.

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