(5/26) Emmitsburg’s brand new pool is officially open and members of the community couldn’t be more excited. The town opened the gates to the community pool Memorial Day weekend and crowds strolled in to enjoy the water between the rain showers. The costly endeavor has finally come to an end, and Mayor Don Briggs couldn’t be more proud of what town staff has been able to accomplish. "Staff was asked to do so much this year, including the pool…what the staff put into these projects, we just really have to appreciate everything they have done."

Last spring Emmitsburg was faced with the difficult decision to close the community pool for the summer in order to complete much-needed renovations to the 40+ year-old pool. Pool renovation originally began back in November 2016, after the town received a $217,000 grant and approval from the Board, however a simple renovation quickly turned into an extensive list of repairs that had to be completed. Even though the original bid estimate for repairs to the pool came in at $123,000, costs quickly added up as numerous problems kept arising.

At the time of the original bid, there were some unknown costs, which foremost included the repair of a major leak. Additionally, town staff was later informed that there were several faults in the plumbing lines, and the entire plumbing apparatus was not up to code. The pool also sustained some beam damage, and an overwhelming number of cracks in the pools’ plaster caused major concern. The Board was then faced with the decision to continue with the renovation, or completely budget a brand new pool. However, the decision to construct a brand new pool was not an easy one since the cost was estimated at approximately $369,000. Adding in the money already spent on the project at the time, a new pool would cost upwards of $425,000.

Unfortunately the added costs didn’t stop there. The Board voted to have lights installed inside the pool, and also approved additional repair, which included: repair of the underground spring found during demolition, the construction of an additional wall in the pump room and electrical work due to the corrosion of the electrical panels. Also, the town had to make some repairs that fell outside the pool reconstruction in order to open the pool, adding an additional $17,000 to the total.

In order to account for all the added costs, the Town had to find ways to fund what was not covered in the $217,000 grant, a cost of approximately $274,000. Luckily, the town was able to completely fund the remainder of the project in house. $207,500 was funded through fund 2 and a $66,300 budget transfer was made from overflow revenue in the FY17 budget.

The brand new community pool now consists of a main swimming pool ranging from a foot and a half deep in the shallow end to ten feet in the deep end featuring a diving board. There is a splash pad area next to the main pool. The pool area also includes a large pavilion with seating for relaxing and dining.