Penns Valley swim team launches fundraiser to save community pool, a ‘cherished space’

A local swim team recently launched a fundraiser to help save the Millheim Pool at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, Penns Valley’s only public swimming pool and a beloved community resource that’s in need of some extensive repairs.

The Penns Valley Penguins, the swim team that calls the Millheim Pool home, kicked off their online fundraiser Friday, with a goal of raising $100,000 for the pool’s repairs. As of Monday, nearly $8,000 had been raised.

“Every contribution will help us breathe life back into this cherished space, returning the sound of splashing water and joyful noise to Soldiers and Sailors Park,” the GiveButter campaign page reads.

With the pool closed, the swim team has had to make a roughly 60-mile round trip to a public pool in Lewistown for practices and “home” swim meets. The team has had to make that trek since the pool first closed near the end of its 2024 season and again in the 2025 season — and the swimmers may have to make that trip again this year if repairs aren’t made in time.

“This campaign is about more than concrete and construction — it’s about preserving a cornerstone of community life,” the website reads. “Your gift, large or small, will help ensure that our kids can once again swim close to home, and that future generations can make memories right here in the heart of Penns Valley.”

As it stands, the pool’s list of repairs includes replacing its internal plumbing, installing a new, low-maintenance liner, updating the mechanical room, bathhouse and concession stand, pouring new concrete around the pool when the internal issues are fixed and making some smaller upgrades along the way.

While a total cost for the repairs has yet to be determined, the Millheim Borough Council shared in July that a new liner will cost at least $100,000. Penns Valley Parks & Recreation Association President Michelle Johnson added then that the pool’s core — which was built in 1970 — is still in “really good” condition, and will save the pool from further excavation.

In August, the council approved the purchase of the pool from its previous owners, the Millheim Lion’s Club, for $1. That was followed by borough-led efforts to create a new Penns Valley Parks and Recreation Joint Authority, which would operate separately to the existing parks and recreation authority.

The new authority is still being formed but is planned to include every Penns Valley municipality, including Gregg, Haines, Miles, Penn and Potter townships, and Centre Hall and Millheim boroughs.

The new authority would be used to tackle a wider range of recreation issues at parks across the Penns Valley, but the first priority would be address the pool’s many issues through securing state and federal grants, local donations, authority-held fundraising events, municipal in-kind work and financial contributions.

Funds garnered by the new authority would not only help with the pool’s repairs, but could also lead to some new amenities being installed there in the years to come.

“Over time and as funds allow, future improvements could include modernized equipment, a splash pad, improved bathhouses, etc. — ensuring that the Millheim Pool continues to serve the community for decades to come,” the Penns Vally swim team’s fundraiser’s website reads.

The swim team’s short term goal is to get the pool opened “as soon as possible,” not ruling out an opening “as early as next season.”

To contribute to the fundraiser, visit the fundraiser’s website to make a one-time, monthly, quarterly or yearly donation of any amount. More information on the Penns Valley Penguins can be found on the swim team’s Facebook page, and more information on the pool can be found on its Facebook page.

Additional updates on the pool’s renovation process and authority’s formation will be shared at future Millheim Borough Council meetings, which take place at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.