Greensburg pool to close for renovations until 2019

Greensburg's Veterans' Memorial Swimming Pool at Lynch Field will be closed for renovations this summer.

The city is planning an extensive overhaul of the pool and adjoining facilities and invites the public to a recreation advisory board meeting 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall to learn more about design plans.

The 57-year-old pool hasn't had a major renovation since 1993. Its pumps, boiler, fittings and filters are past their life expectancy, according to city recreation officials.

About 150 people a day typically use the 7,000-square-foot pool in the summer. The pool saw a total of 11,650 swimmers last year, city officials said.

The work will be funded with part of a $1.2 million bond the city issued last year.

In addition to mechanical replacements, the pool, grounds, baby pool and bathhouse will be redesigned by architect Randy Galiotto of Alloy 5, Bethlehem.

“Our goal is to provide a whole new recreation experience that the community is proud of and one where kids want to recreate for years to come,” councilwoman Cheryl Lennert, who oversees recreation, said in a statement.

The redesign has been pending for almost two years. The city commissioned a study of the pool in early 2016 to determine what work is needed.

In 2012, city officials decided to invest about $175,000 to add a liner and make other renovations at the pool after repeatedly repairing spots where water was seeping under sections of the bottom, causing those areas to lift up.

A consultant determined the pool had a history of water loss, plaster delamination, joint failure and wall and floor deterioration.

The Greensburg YMCA took over operations at the pool from the city in 2014, but that contract expired at the end of last year and was not renewed. The city will go back to managing the facility.

The pool is expected to reopen for the 2019 summer season.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.