M'burgh Village to Seek $1.5M Grant to Rehab Pool

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - The Village of Middleburgh will be seeking a $1.5 million state grant to do a rehab of the aging village pool.

If successful, they will use funds to replace the water lines under the concrete deck, replace the buildings for the office, showers, bathrooms, pump house, as well as improve the pavilion, and construct a concession building. The pool is in pretty good shape, though tiles will be replaced.

On Monday, the board agreed to authorize Delaware Engineering to submit a New York Swims Grant application for $1.5 million to improve the village community pool.

There were two options for the project, $1.1 million and $1.5 million. The big difference between the two is the replacement of piping under the deck in the $1.5 million plan. There is a 20 percent match for the grant, which means that the village will have to put in $300,000 for the work if the grant is approved.

Officials agreed to go with the $1.5 million grant and replace the piping.

DPW Superintendent Cole Keyser said that if the smaller project was done and the piping failed in three years, the village would go back to "square one." It would be hard "not to consider getting the whole thing done," he added.

Trustees Kevin Young and Amanda Fernandez and Mayor Tim Knight agreed.

"If we're going to go forward, we might as well go all in," Trustee Young said.

"It's better to get the whole thing done," Trustee Fernandez added.

The grant application is due at the end of the month and is coming along well, Mayor Knight reported. There have been supporting letters from the school, MidTel, the Youth Bureau, the Town of Fulton, and former pool alumni.

"We have a very strong application, Mayor Knight said.

Mike Wilkens of the Joint Recreation Commission spoke to the village board last month about the condition of the nearly 60-year-old pool and what upgrades are needed.

Representatives from Delaware Engineering did an assessment on the pool, Mr. Wilkens added.

The report noted that the pool itself is structurally sound, aside from needing new tiles and a cover. The other buildings and structures are in "bad shape" and need replacement, Mr. Wilkens reported.

The filtration system, the bathrooms, the pump station, the showers, the changing rooms, and the office need to be rebuilt.

Mayor Knight said the village could not apply for the grant last year but there is a new formula this year.

The Middleburgh Pool Revitalization Committee, which was convened last summer, gave the go ahead to apply for the grant.

To help with the local funding match, Mr. Wilkens said, donations will be important. He knows there are people interested in donating.

The pool was built behind the high school in 1967 or 1968.

Some concrete repairs were done in 2022 for $33,000 and funded out of the pool repair fund. Some of the areas that were repaired, as well as new ones, are deteriorating, Mr. Wilkens said last year.

The pool repair fund, which totaled $39,000 last year, does not have enough money in it to pay for major repairs.

A complete pool replacement could be very expensive.

Mayor Knight noted last year that the new Stamford pool cost between $2.5 and $3 million.

Officials also noted that in addition to repairs, the pool is not ADA compliant.