CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — The Borough of Chambersburg Town Council announced it will open the Chambersburg Aquatic Center on Thursday.
The council voted to open the Aquatic Center at its regular meeting on Tuesday, it said in a press release.
The Council also voted to postpone Chambersburg's annual July 4 fireworks celebration to Labor Day, citing COVID-19 safety concerns, the release said.
In addition, the council voted to end the state of emergency declared by Mayor Walter Bietsch on March 13, according to the release. The state of emergency in Chambersburg will officially end at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30.
“Originally the Borough made a number of significant steps to ensure the health and safety of the public and Borough workers,” according to Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill. “Over time, as the Borough has moved to the Green Phase of Governor Wolf’s Plan for the Reopening of Pennsylvania, many of these steps have been rolled back or modified. In each case, we continue to follow the guidelines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health or the US Centers for Disease Control, whenever practical.”
Chambersburg's Aquatic Center, located in Memorial Park, will open its doors Thursday. The borough has operated the aquatic center for the last two years.
“Pools are licensed facilities and must follow Department of Health guidelines,” said Stonehill. “Now that we are in the Green Phase, as determined by Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Borough may reopen the facility.
"That being said, citizens will notice some significant operational changes. We will ask visitors to consider face coverings and social distancing while not in the water. Further, the facility occupancy will be limited to only 500 guests, which is less than half of what the Aquatic Center can normally handle. There will be limits to occupancy in the different pools as well.”
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The final issue voted on by the council was the decision to postpone the borough's annual Day in the Park July 4 celebration to Labor Day.
The celebration was to include a Food Truck Festival, bouncy houses and other games, a VIP party at the Aquatic Center, and regular-height fireworks.
The Council determined that there was no practical way to hold the event. Even if it elected to hold a fireworks event by itself, with no Day-In-The-Park celebration, there remained concerns that even fireworks could violate the guidelines for special events in the Green Phase of the Governor’s Plan for the Reopening of Pennsylvania, Stonehill said.
