The municipality’s goal is to build a facility that will replace the deteriorating 30-year old, 50-meter aluminum pool located in Mt. Lebanon Park. In 2004, a school/municipal committee considered partnering on an indoor 50-meter natatorium and fitness center, but was unable to come up with a concept that met the recreational, competitive, health/ wellness and instructional needs of both the school district and the general public. At the request of some members of the public, a joint committee is again evaluating the possibility of a partnership; a decision should be made in spring 2007.

Whether or not the school district and municipality work together, the municipality plans to have a new aquatic center in place in 2009. In the meantime, the municipal staff and commission continue to welcome your comments on the various scenarios, which range from basically replacing what we have (50 meter pool and baby pool) at a projected cost of $6.6 million, to a 25- or 50- meter outdoor facility with upgraded amenities at a cost of $8 million to $10 million, to a 50-meter indoor facility that would cost nearly $25 million.

We hope you’ll take time to review Counsilman-Hunsacker’s final report, which was compiled following a public input process. The report includes visuals of the various scenarios and provides statistics regarding things such as construction and operating costs, probable attendance, projected expenditures and revenue, and net costs. Any of the options presented could be revised once we enter the design phase.

Please keep in mind that the consultants have used 2009 dollars, as that is when the project would likely take place.

We thank you for your constructive comments over the past few months and look forward to your continuing input.

Following the presentation, the group broke into four sub groups with municipal staff members acting as facilitators and brainstormed around four topics, with their ideas recorded for the consultants to study later.  The questions were: Which of the following uses for a swim center–recreation, competition, wellness, or lessons–would you give the highest priority?  If you could retain one thing about the existing Mt. Lebanon Pool, what would it be?  If you could change one thing about the existing Mt. Lebanon Pool, what would it be? (If money were no object), what amenities would you like to see included?)

The groups, which made presentations at the end, unanimously agreed that recreation should take top priority. (Most people included wellness activities as a form of recreation). Participants also unanimously agreed,  that teaching every child to swim should remain a goal and that a new facility should provide for the same types of competition that currently take place in Mt. Lebanon’s 50-meter outdoor pool.

Common requests were for heated water, zero-depth entry, more shade, more deck chairs, a baby pool connected to the main pool and nicer locker rooms. Most people favored retaining the current “footprint” and having a limited but not huge number of recreational amenities such as the existing water slide and sprinkler.

At the evening’s end, each group was asked to present two points that summarized its discussions.  Basically, people agreed that they wanted an updated, clean, safe aquatic center that would meet the needs of residents of all interests and ages–a pool with some recreational amenities but not too many “bells and whistles.”  And all agreed that is is critical for the school district and the municipality to coordinate their separate renovation plans so that there is not a substantial duplication of effort of an undue burden placed on taxpayers.

 You may also post a comment here or email questions (which may be answered on the blog or by a staff member) to aquaticcenter@mtlebanon.org.

We may not be able to answer all your questions on this web log, so we hope you’ll review the consultant’s final report on the feasibility study using the link at the right. Otherwise, keep checking this page or watch for updated information in upcoming issues of Mt. Lebanon Magazine. You may email questions (which may be answered here or by a staff member) to aquaticcenter@mtlebanon.org.

Whether you are a current Mt. Lebanon Swim Center user, someone who might use an aquatic center if it had different amenities or someone who  probably will never use the center but are interested in the project,  we hope you’ll feel free to ask questions or make suggestions.

Mt. Lebanon’s public information office will maintain this site, but the postings will be a joint effort by other municipal departments (especially the recreation department) and Counsilman-Hunsaker,  the consultants for the feasibility study.

We will update our blog as new information becomes available and will respond to your questions as needed.