LITTLESTOWN, Pa. — The Littlestown Borough Council voted 4-2 Tuesday night to decommission the final public pool remaining in Adams County, despite public outcry against the decision.
The pool, which opened in 1968, has been closed since last year. Borough officials cited the high cost of replacement and low attendance for the decommissioning.
Supporters of the pool held a rally last week outside the facility and presented a proposal to the council in an attempt to save the pool.
"It’s a burden on the borough… well we’re here to take that burden off the borough and not affect any of your taxes," said Kathleen Ednie, a supporter of the pool, referencing a line reportedly used by borough officials to describe the pool.
Ednie put forward a proposal that would have seen pool supporters attempt to raise $1 million over the next year to pay for renovations and to staff the pool using volunteers.
"We have so many ideas to raise money to keep the pool sustainable as far as sock hops and birthday parties and so much going on," Ednie said before the meeting. "So we're hoping that somebody on that board will have a soft heart."
Borough officials estimate that replacing the 56-year-old pool would cost at least $2.5 million, and an effort to do so would require a significant tax increase.
"It's not feasible, and it doesn't cover half of what they're with that pool needs," said Borough Manager Charles Keller. "You're looking at two and a half million to do something like that. In tax dollars, you're looking at three, three and a half million tax increase for a pool that doesn't get used, or used enough that it would amount to anything."