EVANS CITY — While a sizable grant has finally arrived to refurbish the pool at EDCO Park, a little more public support is required.

The borough council announced at its January meeting that it received a $300,000 matching grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program administered by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The grant must have matching funds, meaning the borough or EDCO Park Authority must also raise $300,000 within a certain time period.

That burden has fallen on the authority, and board vice-president Cindy Caldwell feels confident the funds will be raised and hopes the public will help.

Caldwell said the authority received $127,000 and $85,000 Community Development Block Grants to remove handicap barriers in the pool and rest rooms, respectively. They also raised $31,000 through fund raisers and donations.

That leaves $57,000 that the authority must raise to get the grant check.

“I am putting out a challenge to any businesses that want to get a tax credit for charitable giving,” Caldwell said. “Contact us, and we can help each other.”

She said most local businesses have donated to the authority, but large donations can be tax deductible.

“I would encourage them all to revisit their giving,” Caldwell said.

The upcoming BASF Chili Open Golf Outing on Saturday, Jan. 28th at EDCO Park normally raises about $4,000, Caldwell said, but the authority board hopes to surpass that amount this year.

Caldwell, who also manages the pool in the summer, said $600,000 will pay to demolish the closed baby pool and replace it with a zero-entry ramp that gradually gets deeper until it merges into the shallow end of the big pool.

Leaking plumbing under the area of the baby pool will also be repaired and the big pool will be resurfaced using the grant money. New sidewalks and the maintenance of skimmers and other equipment also will be included in the upgrades made possible by the grant.

“This should fix all of the issues with the pool,” Caldwell said of the grant. ”We are ecstatic to finally see the dedication and hard work of our volunteers coming together to make (pool upgrades) a reality.”

Construction could begin in the fall if the authority is able to raise the $57,000 quickly.

Caldwell said the project will be overseen by Gary Pinkerton, the county parks and recreation department director.

Lee Dyer, president of the borough council, said the authority board and volunteers have worked very hard to make much-needed repairs at the pool.

“The council has supported their efforts with funds for utilities, startup and shutdown expenses, light maintenance and mowing all summer,” Dyer said. “Additionally, we provided $10,000 in seed money to fund a feasibility study to establish eligibility for grant funding.”

Dyer said the council has faith in the authority’s efforts to upgrade the pool.

“The council is optimistic that their fundraising efforts will reach the level required to complete the grant process, and we look forward to commencement of construction,” he said.

Caldwell said the authority is excited about the potential for upgrades at the pool.

“We’re happy to work with council and get this moving,” she said.

More information about the BASF Chili Open Golf Outing is available at www.edcopark.com