By Kellie Patrick Gates
For PlanPhilly
Summer may have just ended, but the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area staff and volunteers are earnestly thinking about a swimming pool – or maybe two - that will float in Philadelphia river water.
Sometime next month, the Heritage Area will announce the final two prospective sites for a river pool, said Tim Fenchel, grants program coordinator for HDR, the engineering firm that is handling the project.
The 10 people who make up the advisory committee – representatives from the community, the Philadelphia Water Department, The Heritage Area and the Fairmount Park Commission – have, with the help of HDR, narrowed a list of about a dozen prospective sites down to two, Fenchel said.
“There is one in each river,” he said, referring to the Delaware and the Schuylkill.
At the Committee’s request, HDR is working on a detailed report on the last two sites. It will be ready within three or four weeks, Fenchel said, and then the locations will be revealed to the public. Fenchel said public input will be sought before any final decision is made.
While river pools are rare, Philadelphia’s would not be the first. In fact, the architect hired by The Heritage Area, Meta Brunzema, has already built a floating pool in Beacon, New York. It has a net-like bottom and sides that allow for the flow of water and fish. Pontoons keep it floating. See previous coverage.
In Philadelphia, the original dozen prospective pool sites were winnowed based on water quality, physical characteristics of the site, land ownership issues and easy access.
Heritage Area Executive Director Kurt Zwikl was unavailable for comment today, but has previously said he hopes a river pool would spur nearby economic development – which is part of his agency’s mission. The pool or pools will be located in or near depressed areas and will be accessible by foot, bicycle and public transportation. There will also be parking.
Whether one pool or two is built depends largely on funding. But also, the permission of several city and state agencies would be needed before any pool could open. See story on monitoring water quality.
The project is being funded by a $75,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, which was enticed by an opportunity to bring Philadelphians back to their waterfronts.
