In surveys, residents ask city to keep Brand Park pool

The city of Elmira is looking for more input from residents before it decides what to do with Brand Park Memorial Pool.

Councilman Daniel Royle, D-5th, said about 150 of the 300 surveys he sent this month to residents have been returned. Another batch of surveys was being mailed this week, he said.

"The vast majority of people who responded so far said the pool should stay at Brand Park," Royle said. "There seems to be an even split as to whether we should put money into renovation of the existing pool, or replace it with a new one."

The huge, oval-shaped pool is a patented Wesley Bintz design that was built in 1937. It was rebuilt in 1948 and dedicated to World War II veterans after a flood destroyed the original. There are only four others like it in operation -- three in Michigan and one in Tonawanda, a Buffalo suburb.

From up top, the spacious pool is impressive with sparkling water and lots of room to swim. But the pool is also run-down. It's not accessible to people with disabilities, and the dressing rooms and bathroom facilities are showing their age.

"It's like a dungeon down there," Royle said.

The city is talking about three options:

- Restoring the pool in a historically accurate manner at a cost of $1.5 million.

- Tearing it down and building a new pool for $1.2 million at a site to be determined.

- Just tearing it down for $100,000.

Most of the surveys were sent to people who live on Elmira's Southside, that is, south of the Chemung River. The pool is in Brand Park, just south of the river off Catherine Street.

Royle said he paid for the first set of surveys out of his pocket. He said Councilman Kenneth Brooks, R-2nd, was paying for this week's surveys, which are being sent to Eastside residents. Royle said Southsiders and Eastsiders are those who most use the pool.

Cheryl Schneider, the city's community development director, said the project could be paid for by the state's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Schneider said the deadline is Aug. 31 to apply to the state for a grant.

But Schneider said the Elmira City Council has to first decide what it wants to do before she goes after the money.

Schneider noted that it took time to finalize a plan for Eldridge Park. She said that project was divided up and paid for in phases -- the softball diamonds, the fishing dock and so on. This year, for example, the city will apply for lighting for the jogging path at Eldridge Park, Schneider said.

Schneider said the Brand Park pool project, if the pool is restored, could also be divided and paid for in phases. One year could be for locker room repairs, the next year could be for exterior restoration, and so on.

"You do get extra points on your application for projects that are ready to go," Schneider said.

The Brand Park project is not ready to go. The city first has to decide whether it wants a rebuilt, historic pool or a shiny, new pool -- or no pool at all.

Royle said he would prefer the city decide this year rather than wait until next year, saying the pool in its current state has only so many years left.

However, Royle said the survey results have surprised him.

"I'm amazed, frankly, at the replies," Royle said. "Most of them wrote a little comment on what the pool means to them, what they remember as a child, and how important the pool is to them.

"The number of replies that came back is an indication that they take it seriously. Whatever we do, it better be the right thing. I know that for sure."

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