Don’t rush out to buy a new bathing suit for the grand reopening of the Northwood Frankford Community Y swimming pool.
“The pool is never going to open ever again,” said Northwood Civic Association president Joe Krause.
Krause, part of the board of directors that is trying to reopen the Y, explained that it is too costly to maintain the heated pool.
The Y, at 4700 Leiper St., closed in 2009 due to a lack of membership and state funding. The board is recruiting commercial tenants.
In other news from the March 19 civic association meeting, the group will oppose a proposed beauty salon for 5260 Castor Ave. (at Bridge Street). The group cites traffic and parking issues and a desire to keep the neighborhood almost exclusive single-family homes. A Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing will take place in May.
On another zoning topic, the group favors a proposed senior citizen day program moving into the shopping strip on the 4400 block of Castor Ave. The agency recently obtained a variance, needing one because the property is just 45 feet from Frankford Creek, just under the required 50-foot setback.
The program, which will open in a year, will replace a departing concrete shop. It will join a CVS and a dialysis center in the shopping center. Landscaping will be added. A Popeye’s restaurant will also open on site.
The Juniata Park Civic Association also supported the day program.
The March 16 cleanup at Northwood Park was not much of a success, as only two people showed up.
On a brighter note, no recent crime was reported, though a couple of people mentioned they’ve seen empty drug vials on the ground.
In other neighborhood news, St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its preschool program on the weekend of May 18–19.
On May 18, there will be games for adults and children from noon to 4 p.m. On May 19, there will be a church service at 9:20 a.m., followed by a reception.
The Rev. Paul Andell, the retired longtime pastor at St. James, will return for the festivities. He and his wife Pam live in Minnesota, and he preaches in Iowa. Their daughter, Eva Parisi, runs the preschool.
Northwood Civic Association will meet again on Tuesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church. ••
