Effort to Save the Newtown Swim Club Continues

Residents hoping to keep the Newtown Swim Club open after this summer are holding a second planning meeting later this month.

On Wednesday, a group of residents began their effort to save the club by holding a planning meeting at Borough Hall. Bob King, a member of Borough Council who is helping to organize the effort, said a second meeting will be held Aug. 12.

Owner David Platt is planning to close the club after this summer. He is working with County Builders to construct a residential community on the 16.5-acre site, located on Newtown Yardley Road.

But many members want to stop the club from closing.

Dozens of residents attended the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting in July and asked officials what could be done to save the club.

County Builders has submitted an application to the township for a 56-townhouse development on the site. The application is currently under review by the township.

Township officials told the residents at that meeting that they don’t have much say at this point what happens to the swim club because it’s a privately-owned property. “It’s a difficult situation. Loosing the swim club is a terrible thing,” supervisor Matt Benchener said.

Benchener said the residents could mobilize and raise money for the cause, but the problem is “we don’t know what he sold that property for. It’s a private sale.”

And with an application for townhomes on the site already submitted, action must be taken swiftly, officials pointed out.