SEBCO pool renovation solution represents best possible scenario
The Jefferson Township Board of Supervisors should be commended for its recent decision to approve a $2.7 million renovation of SEBCO pool at the township’s Laura Doerr Memorial Park.
The pool project had become a contentious issue after the lowest bid for the work came in at $600,00 more than the township had budgeted for the project.
Some township residents feared the shortfall would have to be made up by raising taxes. Others feared it meant the nearly 60-year-old pool’s infrastructure would continue to deteriorate, possibly causing closure.
So many people turned out for a Jan. 20 public meeting on the issue the meeting had to be moved from the township’s municipal building into the larger truck storage garage next door. A petition drive backing the pool renovation was announced.
Fortunately, a situation that allows the pool to stay open without raising residents’ taxes presented itself.
On Jan. 28, it was announced the township had been awarded $125,000 in state Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program funding to be used in the pool’s renovation.
The funds will be combined with two other state grants to provide $925,000 for the project. A family trust has agreed to contribute another $150,000. The township has repeatedly stated any shortfall amount will be pulled from existing funds and not from a tax hike.
The renovation is a large undertaking. One drawback is that the size of the project means the pool will not open this summer, but work is expected to be done in time summer 2027.
Everyone involved should be congratulated for keeping the pool open and taxpayers’ wallets closed.
— EF
