ZELIENOPLE — The borough will consider a plan to replace the swimming pool in Zelienople Community Park at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.

Park board President Jeff Barkley and Vice President Bryan Seibel presented a preliminary plan for a new pool to council Monday night.

Because of the pool’s deteriorating condition — it was built in 1957 — the borough had requested the parks board to look into options to repair or replace it.

The board hired Wade Associates, a Harrisburg-based pool consulting firm, which determined a repair wouldn’t be cost effective, Barkley said.

“It was clearly determined that the pool, being the age that it is, that it would be virtually impossible to do a renovation on the current structure,” he said.

The firm provided the board with two replacement options. It put its initial support behind the $1.5 million plan, the less expensive option.

The second option was not discussed.

However, Barkley said the park board would be looking at places to trim costs — as much as $100,000 — by eliminating some items in the project.

About 30 percent to 40 percent of the cost potentially could be covered by state grants, while the rest would need to be raised from donations or sponsorships. Fundraising and planning would likely take three years, Barkley said.

The plan supported by the park board would rebuild the pool in the same fenced-in area where it is currently situated. The new pool would be slightly larger and would have a different layout designed to allow groups to rent part of it for events.

The construction could be done between September and May, weather permitting, meaning revenue wouldn’t be lost by having it closed during summer, Barkley said.

Before asking for council’s approval, the park board plans to gather public input by holding a meeting at the borough building. No date has been set.

That input will help the borough decide what to include in a new pool.

The current pool is not heated and does not have a diving board, both of which could be included in a new facility.

Having a heated pool would cost more, but would attract additional revenue from swim clubs that would use it earlier in the season.

The board has already talked to clubs and coaches in the Seneca Valley School District to determine who would use the pool, Barkley said.

A diving board more than 1 meter high would require the pool to be at least 10 feet deep, which would cost more than a 7-foot deep pool, but it could be used by a diving team.

Also at Monday’s meeting, council gave approval for the park department to go over its budget by no more than $15,000. The borough will cover the additional expense with surplus funds or money from a reserve account, borough manager Don Pepe said.

The park typically has a $50,000 budget from the borough, but is operating on only $30,000 this year after it requested an additional $20,000 in 2013 to cover an unexpected shortfall.

The department is working to generate more revenue and reduce expenses to operate in the black without any debt from past projects, including the amphitheater and redoing basketball and tennis courts, Barkley said.

Several council members expressed appreciation for the direction the park department has taken recently.

“I firmly believe we have a lot of potential in that park,” council President Allen Bayer said. “You’re not going to turn the Titanic around in a heartbeat, and we’re not going to turn the park around. We’ve worked at it for a hell of a lot of years, but I see very positive movement in the park.”