Slatington Borough Council learned on Monday night that the Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool Association will not be able to reopen the pool this summer, because the plaster lining is chipping off the pool walls and floor. This will be the second year that the pool will be closed. It was closed last summer due to COVID-19.

Borough Manager Dan Stevens said he had heard about the closure and asked council member Kevin Steckel if he knew anything more about it.

Steckel said the plaster lining had been done in 2010 and was supposed to last for 20 years, but there have been problems with it.

Every year, the pool association has been patching the plaster lining, but now it is beyond patching and the lining needs to be replaced. He said the cost to reline the pool is estimated to be about $175,000.

“They don’t have it,” Steckel said. “The pool was set up to do that job every 20 years.”

They are not prepared to handle that cost so soon.

According to the pool association’s Facebook page, the pool also needs an upgrade to its filtration system, which hasn’t been replaced since it was installed in the 1960s. The estimated cost of $175,000 does not include the filtration system. It is only for the relining.

“They are going to try and raise the money to get that done,” Steckel said.

The association’s Facebook page said it plans to create a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs.

“Having the pool in the community is a great asset,” Stevens said. “We wouldn’t want to lose it.”

The pool board also is looking for people to run a fundraising committee, additional board members and a treasurer. Anyone interested in helping should email them at nlpool@mail.com. The pool board’s next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 via Zoom. The link will be on the association’s Facebook page.