Pioneering Pa. swim club files for bankruptcy

The Nile Swim Club of Yeadon has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, avoiding a threatened tax sale of the nation's first African American-owned and African American-operated private swim club.

The club, which opened in 1959, owes a total of $90,049 in delinquent taxes through 2009, according to public records. In addition, the club's $36,768 tax bill for this year is unpaid, tax records say.

"We just couldn't turn around that kind of money," said Darrell Henderson, club president. "So that we wouldn't lose the property, we filed for bankruptcy."

Club officials filed Sept. 14, one day before the property was scheduled to be listed for a tax sale. Most of the money is owed to the William Penn School District.

The bankruptcy filing gives the club time to reorganize its finances with a goal of developing a tax-payment plan, Henderson said. Officials plan to solicit corporate donors and charitable groups, and increase marketing efforts they hope will stabilize membership.

The club also has been talking with borough officials about the possibility of buying the site, said Yeadon Mayor Dolores Jones-Butler. No decision has been made, but officials are committed to finding a way to preserve the pool, said Asher Kemp Jr., president of the Borough Council.

"We want to keep the Nile as a resource for our residents," Kemp said. "Its historic significance enriches our community."

If Yeadon decides to buy the pool, it would join other area municipalities that have taken over private swim clubs in financial trouble. Earlier this year, Aldan Borough in Delaware County bought the Aldan Swim Club, and West Pottsgrove in Montgomery County decided to acquire the Colonial Swim Club.

The Nile's financial woes mark a critical time in the history of a club, which was founded to provide a place for black children to swim when municipal pools were an unwelcoming place for African Americans.

Members of the Nile's founding families went door to door selling $250 bonds to fund construction. Neighbors bought land from the borough in 1958.

"There is a commitment to the Nile that is unlike any commitment to anything I've ever seen," said Jacquelynn Puriefoy-Brinkley, a former club board member whose family was one of the club's founding families. "It's a painful time, and it's going to be hard, but I think we're going to be fine."

The club's troubled finances are a mirror of similar money problems confronting other private swim clubs, Nile and Yeadon officials say.

The clubs are facing competition from newer facilities with cheaper prices. The economic downturn has meant fewer families are opting to join Nile, which has integrated over the years. At its peak, the club had more than 500 members. In July 2009, there were 300, and now there are fewer than 100.

Membership is $500, with an annual fee starting at $125. The club's season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

"People aren't looking to pay a membership for a swim club when they are trying to survive," Henderson said.

Club administrators, members, and board members had tried to raise money to stave off the tax sale. They solicited donations from members, nearby residents, and potential corporate donors, with limited success.

Several years ago, the club planned a $5 million renovation of its facilities. It raised $250,000, which was used to pay for architectural fees. The project has been suspended.

The club sits on 41/2 acres on the west side of Yeadon in what was once the borough's black section, an enclave of African American professionals. The site includes an L-shaped pool, a kiddie pool, a clubhouse, pavilion, and snack bar.

Frances Gilbert, 70, of Sharon Hill, has been a member of the club for 25 years. She joined in 1985, when her son was 8 years old. Now, Gilbert takes her 11-year-old granddaughter to the pool.

"The Nile means an awful lot," Gilbert said. "We should strive to do whatever we can to support it and make sure it remains open."