HONESDALE, PA — You may have heard of the old adage of waiting 30 minutes before going swimming. At their meeting on June 21, the Honesdale Borough Council announced that wait to use the Honesdale Area Pool may be even longer.

Uncertainty has plagued the area pool for quite some time, starting with its decision to stay closed for the 2020 season.

There were also some complications when it came to agreements with the area YMCA. The YMCA planned to lease the pool from June 21 to August 27. During last May’s Honesdale Borough meeting, there was confusion regarding who could use the pool during the hours it was being leased by the YMCA. It was clarified that only those who leased it for a certain time could use it during that time. Some public commenters felt as though the decision was exclusionary.

Onboarding lifeguards also proved to be another complication. Many pools across the nation have been enduring what’s been called a national lifeguard shortage. The pool at the state park in Lackawanna County had to close recently for the same reason.

Five YMCA lifeguards are currently in the process of being onboarded for the 2021 pool season.

The borough is hoping to make a definitive announcement regarding the pool very soon. They are working in accordance with the parks and recreation department to come up with a definitive schedule.

“They have a recommendation that the Honesdale area pool [should] have operating hours from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer and that the manager of the pool should be consulted whether those hours should remain or be changed depending on the needs of the community,” said councilmember James Jennings.

A decision was also made regarding fees to use the facilities. The borough council agreed that fees should be waived for borough residents and that non-residents should be charged at a rate of $5 per adult and $3 per child per visit.

The borough council thanked the public for their patience while the matter unfolds.