Brentwood to spend $3M for pool renovations

Brentwood residents can take a splash in the borough’s new pool in 2020.

Borough council members on July 23 unanimously agreed to move forward with a plan to renovate Brentwood’s more than 50-year-old pool — at a cost of $3 million.

“It’s another community gathering place,” borough Manager George Zboyovsky said, as he talked about the dive-in movie nights at the pool. “We spent
$6 million renovating the park, stadium and track. This is really the final piece.”

Council members selected “option 2,” presented by architect HHSDR, that includes a new ramp, zero-depth access entry and a water slide. The upgrade includes new piping, concrete decking and will make the parking lot ADA compliant.

“There’s a big, giant slide and more space to lay out,” Zboyovsky said.

The borough held a public meeting in June to gather public opinion in the pool, which loses about $60,000 annually.

The more than 100 residents in attendance were resoundingly in favor of keeping a pool as a community asset.

“The big question was do we have just changing rooms or changing rooms with facilities and showers?” Zboyovsky said.

Residents wanted to see bathrooms and showers in the new bath house, he said, instead of having to use the restrooms at the stadium next door. Council agreed to that.

The existing bath house will be demolished and a new one built under the plan.

Initially the addition of restrooms and showers was set to cost an additional $300,000. However, architects managed to cut that price in half, Zboyovsky said.

To fund the project, council members on July 23 also agreed to a debt ordinance allowing the borough to borrow $7 million. That money will be used for the pool renovations and construction of a new municipal building at the old Snee Dairy site on Brownsville Road, just a few blocks from the current borough building.

To offset the roughly $3 million pool renovation, Brentwood received $275,000 in Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund grants and $100,000 in a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant.

As part of the project, there also will be minor exterior renovations done to the Brentwood Civic Center.

Brentwood pool will be closed in 2019 to allow for construction.

Borough leaders plan to go out for bid on the project in January.

The pool is slated to open May 23, 2020 — Memorial Day.

Stephanie Hacke is a
Tribune-Review staff writer.