ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — Leaves and debris are all that’s left to fill Littlestown Community Pool in Adams County, just ahead of its planned demolition.
The only visitors to the pool were members of the group Save the Littlestown Pool, who gathered to save the space from demolishment.
Coordinator Kathleen Ednie says the decision to close came as a shock to many.
“They made up their mind to close the pool, but we want to show them there’s a lot more people that want the pool than don’t want the pool,” Ednie said.
“I didn’t know that would happen,” said Ava Hooper, a pool guest.
“This is the only thing these people have,” added Mike Harris from Adams County.
Members like Ronald Delph say the pool was used therapeutically by some.
“That’s what my wife was coming up here and doing, using it for her exercise,” Delph said.
Littlestown Borough Council released a letter in January, announcing plans to permanently shut down the pool due to “a multitude of issues.”
“We’ve been saying for years at the meetings that we’re having issues with the pool so it’s no secret and it’s obvious the pool is not making money,” said Borough Manager Charles Kellar.
The pool opened its gates in 1968 and operated for more than 50 years. But, as the cost of maintenance went up, attendance went down, eventually leading to the borough closing the pool in late 2023.
The borough estimates that it would cost around $2 million to replace the swimming pool. Ednie and her group hope to postpone demolition by proposing a three-year plan at the next borough council meeting.
“We want a last-ditch effort to raise the funds between now and next April to redo the whole pool, have the maintenance, have the lifeguards, whatever is needed to keep this pool running,” Ednie said.
However, Kellar says the borough’s decision is unlikely to change.
“That’s a ton of money for something that I was getting calls there last year [that were like], ‘You know there’s nobody here can we close the pool?’”
The group plans to present its pool-saving ideas to the Littlestown Borough Council at its next meeting on the second Tuesday of April.