The Nickel Mines community pool lives on.
Shandell Kauffman, new owner of the Nickel Mines Pool & Swim Club, at the pool in Bart Township.
Just when it looked like the Bart Township pool, open since 1957, had seen its last generation of family swimmers, a life preserver arrived.
Michael and Shandell Kauffman, who live only two miles away, bought the 14-acre property at public auction on March 29 for $404,000 and plan to swing open the gates on Saturday, June 7.
It will be an unlikely opening. The Kauffmans bought the property mainly for its pond and fields with the intent of boarding horses.
But then, the pool and its long history as a fixture in the summer lives of local residents started getting under Shandell Kauffman's skin.
"The more I looked at the pool, the more I thought, 'I can do this,'" she said. The horse business could wait for a few years.
The Nickel Mines Community Club was built by Philadelphia transplant "Clayt" Woerth, who wanted to show his love for the rural crossroads community. People long joked that tiny Nickel Mines had its own country club.
Once she committed to take the baton, 34-year-old Shandell Kauffman arranged to buy the pool equipment from previous owners Audra and Merrill Spahn, who ran the pool for two summers under the name Splashes Swim Club.
G. Daniel Baughman Sr., who managed or owned the pool for more than 30 years with his late wife, Fritz, has been showing Kauffman the ropes. Former staffers have signed on.
"We're really, really excited," said Shandell Kauffman. "We're ready to roll."
The pool, now called Nickel Mines Pool & Swim Club, will be mostly about the enduring simple pleasures of swimming again, Kauffman said. It will be open daily through Sept. 1 and will offer swimming lessons and food.
Season memberships range from $115 for individuals to $345 for a family of six or more.
An open house will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. For more information, call Kauffman at 468-9200.
Though it's been hectic getting things ready, "Things are falling into place," Kauffman said. She, along with her four children, ages 3 to 13, plan to spend practically every summer day at the pool.
Future plans include stocking a pond on the property and having fee fishing.
Kauffman's family held a pool membership at Nickel Mines for a few years when she was growing up. "Now, I think back and wish I'd come here more often," she said.
"It's a good feeling to have something like this. It was running for 50 years. I consider myself lucky to be a part of this."
Staff writer Ad Crable can be reached at acrable@LNPnews.com or 481-6029.
