Jefferson Township receives boost in grant money for SEBCO Pool renovation
Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is chipping in a little more than initially planned toward the renovation of SEBCO Pool.
At a Jefferson Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday night, March 9, it was announced the DCNR had agreed to tack an additional $138,750 onto an initial grant of $555,000 awarded to the township in mid-2022 for the renovation project, raising the grant amount to $693,750.
Combined with two other grants — a $125,000 Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant and a $250,000 Local Share Account grant, both from the Department of Community and Economic Development — the total amount of grant funding for the pool renovation has increased to $1,068,750.
In February, supervisors, by a 2-1 vote, approved a $2.7 million bid for the renovation project after months of deliberation. Although it was the low bid, it still came in $600,000 above what the township had budgeted for in December. Grants from the state went only a small way toward recouping that amount. However, a family trust has agreed to contribute an additional $150,000 toward the renovation.
The township has stressed repeatedly to residents it will not raise taxes to cover the renovation project, and any shortfall will be covered by cash reserves.
The renovation is intended to address aging infrastructure items such as the heater, the pool liner and the filter room, which date back to the pool’s opening in the 1960s. As a result of the renovation, the pool will not open for the 2026 summer season but is expected to reopen for the summer of 2027.
