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An aquatic design consultant will present three options for renovating the Bellwood-Antis Community Pool at a public meeting Monday, with estimated costs ranging from $4.2 million to $6.4 million.
Antis Township leaders want residents to come for an "honest discussion" about the recommendations, so the board of supervisors can know best how to proceed, according to Antis Township Manager Doug Brown.
Residents should be prepared to say how they think the township should strike a balance between costs and benefits, as "it will have a big impact on the budget if (we) decide to do it and a big impact on the park and services if (we) don't," Brown said.
The 6:30 p.m. public meeting to announce the results of the study by Wallover Architects of Lancaster is required by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which paid for the study with a $13,500 grant.
A year ago, the consultant held a public meeting to launch the study, with attendees overflowing into a nearby hallway and expressing what seemed like unanimous support for doing what is necessary to ensure the pool continues to be available to the community.
The options at the time seemed to include demolition and replacement of the existing pool, but that is not among the alternatives to be presented Monday.
The consultant's top choice, Option 1, is installation of a Myrtha Pool system, which involves installation of stainless steel brackets in the existing pool, followed by installation of custom-fit stainless steel panels factory-bonded with vinyl.
The vinyl joints are heat-fused on site.
The new shell would have a 25-year structural warranty, said Edwin Wallover, who operates the company with his wife, Susan.
There would also be new piping.
"It's a very robust renovation process," Wallover said of the Myrtha system. "It allows the pool to be brought back to like new."
Option 1 would be the most expensive, between $6.2 and $6.4 million.
Option 2 would involve spraying liquid concrete onto forms that include rebar and guide wires within the existing pool, followed by shaping of the concrete with trowels, then plastering the surface with a finish coat of Portland cement, lime and marble or quartz dust aggregate.
Option 2 would also involve replacement of piping.
One of the drawbacks of Option 2 is that the pool water would continually "try" to leach out minerals from the plaster, making it a challenge to maintain the proper pH and other chemical levels in the pool, Wallover said.
There is no such problem with Option 1, as the vinyl is inert, he said.
With Option 2, replastering would likely be needed in 15 to 20 years, Wallover said.
Option 2 could cost between $5.2 and $5.5 million.
Option 3 would involve installation of a fiberglass reinforced vinyl lining attached at the top, then seamed and glued into position.
It would be guaranteed for 20 years.
Option 3, the least expensive and least robust, would cost about $4.2 million.
All three options would involve making the deep end shallower, replacing the gutter, renovating the bathhouse buildings and replacing the plumbing, the electrical service, the lighting fixtures and the filtration system.
The filter plant, the pump recirculation system and the sanitary system have been maintained well and continue to be functional, but they're approaching the end of their useful life spans, Wallover said.
The bathhouse has also been maintained well, but renovation will bring it up to code, he said.
All the cost estimates are "rough numbers," Wallover said.
The Wallovers also recommend that the Blair Regional YMCA continue to operate the pool.
Following the public meeting, the feasibility study and meeting outcomes will be submitted to DCNR for review.
DCNR would then respond.
After that, the next steps would be up to the supervisors, Wallover said.
That could mean applying to DCNR for a design and construction grant, he said.
Such a grant would not likely be awarded until 2026, and construction would not likely begin until 2027, Wallover predicted.
Brown urged members of the Bellwood-Antis community to show up Monday.
"I want them to come participate, get information, so they can make an educated (choice)," Brown said. "(So they) go into it eyes wide open."
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.