Lansford residents could see work taking place at the borough pool in the coming months.

A contractor hired by the nonprofit Friends of the Lansford Pool is set to begin work this spring.

“They’re going to dig up the sidewalks and put the piping outside the pool, under the sidewalks, and reconnect it to the pipes going to the pumphouse,” said Bruce Markovich, council president.

The project is aimed at addressing the leaks which caused the pool to close back in 2015. Previous attempts to fix the leaks in 2020 were unsuccessful.

The Friends of the Lansford Pool have been fundraising since the pool closed. Originally, they wanted to replace the pool, but the cost was estimated to be more than $700,000. Since then, they’ve continued to fundraise, and the borough has looked at ways to renovate the existing structure.

Late last year, the group agreed to use some of the money it has raised to pay for a project to fix the pipes at the pool. They hired Joe Hutta Plumbing and Heating to complete the work. Gwyn Collevechio, the group’s treasurer and a member of borough council, said the project will cost about $14,000. Work is set to begin when the weather breaks.

It is a larger role for the Friends of the Pool, which originally planned to be like a booster club for the pool, making one-time purchases.

Markovich asked if they would be willing to take on the project, and the group agreed.

“He tells us what needs to be done and asks our group - is there anything that needs to be done that you can do,” Collevechio said.

The project will involve installing new pipes under to circulate water from the pool to the pump house. That will bypass the old leaky system, which runs underneath the pool floor.

In 2020, the borough hired the same contractor to try to fix leaks in the old pipes. The project didn’t address the issues.

Unlike the old pipes, the new ones will run under the sidewalks. The contractor will have to tear up the sidewalks.

There are other projects needed to reopen the pool. The pump house and other buildings need renovations after years of being closed. The sidewalks will need to be replaced after the new pipes are installed.

Collevechio said that the nonprofit has committed to paying to renovate the snack bar.

While the pool remains closed, Tamaqua Borough continues to provide a discounted rate for Lansford residents at its pool.