Logan Polak can remember fun times at the Lansford Pool as a child. And the rising senior at Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School would like to see younger kids get the same opportunity sometime soon.

“I had a birthday party here once. I remember how much fun it was. I’m really excited for it to reopen again,” Polak said.

Over the past few weeks, the pool complex has seen more activity than it has in years. A group of Panther Valley students have been working hard to beautify the Lansford Pool. At the same time, the borough is planning to fix the leaks which have prevented the pool from opening the past five summers.

For the past month, the Panther Valley students have been painting the pool buildings and pavilions. They are current and future members of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.

It’s no small task. They’ve already used 48 gallons of paint. One pool building is more than 100 feet long. The students have primed all the buildings and are now finishing them with a variety of colors.

With a few exceptions, the buildings at the pool haven’t been painted since the mid-80s. The work by the students not only prepares the pool to be reopened, it also serves as a way to remind the community of what the pool can be, said Nathan Halenar, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Lansford Pool.

“We see the excitement in the young people working, and we look forward to the day when everyone can use it again as a great resource for the community,” Halenar said.

The Friends of the Lansford Pool have raised tens of thousands of dollars through tireless fundraising efforts. They formed shortly after the pool closed in 2015. The borough also received a $35,000 state grant.

The Friends purchased the paint, primer, brushes, rollers and buckets for the pool. Panther Valley Lumber sold them supplies at cost.

Work on the pool itself is expected to begin in the next few weeks. The borough has hired a local contractor, Joe Hutta Plumbing & Heating, to work on the problem.

They also plan to solicit bids to replace one pump and rebuild another.

“We have to get it drained and cleaned out. Then we have to fill the pool up, run it for a while, make sure the leak is fixed,” said council President Bruce Markovich.

The borough hoped to begin work fixing the pool in the spring, because the grant was set to expire. But delays in Harrisburg prevented them from getting the funds. Now, the grant is extended until next year.

Meanwhile, borough crews have been working to remove some of the overgrown bushes and trees around the pool building.

Markovich said it’s his hope that the improvements won’t stop with the current projects. They want to develop a plan to get the pool back to being a point of pride for the community.

“We want to get sidewalks, walkways, pavilions, we want to keep moving it forward,” he said.

It wouldn’t be possible without the help of the Panther Valley JSHS students such as Polak. And while it’s been hard work, he said they’re excited to see the pool return, too.

“It would definitely help get back to normal. When this is done, it will be a fantastic way to get everyone together,” Polak said.