CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — They really are going to pave paradise and put up a parking lot–just like Joni Mitchell sang many years ago.
(Pictured above: Back in the day, the Clarion Borough Pool was the place for summer fun. This 1962 photo by Ed Bigley shows the activity in the pool, especially the high and low diving boards. Over the years the diving boards were removed because of safety concerns.)
The Clarion Area School Board on Tuesday night approved a contract for the Clarion Borough Pool Demolition Project for a cost of $91,190.00, the cost being shared by Clarion Borough and the school district.
Terra Works was the low bidder out of seven bidders, including T.A. Gall, Corsetti, Fred L. Burns, and Delta. Bids ranged from $91,190.00 to $187,000.00.
Superintendent Joe Carrico said that the property will probably be used for parking and as a practice field and other recreational activities.
Clarion Borough always had a lease for the pool property but never owned it.
The pool had been closed for several years because of repairs needed to meet environmental and safety requirements. A last-ditch effort to obtain grants for the project was made, but the final word on the grants was expected to be later than the timeline requested by the school district.
All other municipal outdoor pools in Clarion County have closed, except for the Sligo COG pool.
Pools have closed because of various factors, including increasing environmental and safety regulations, difficulty in recruiting qualified lifeguards and other employees, and chemical costs.
Todd Colosimo, borough treasurer, and project manager explained that the existing lease required the borough to pay half the costs of pool reclamation upon ceasing operations. The borough will pay its share of the costs of demolition as a recreational expense out of the general budget.
The borough and school district were relieved that the low bid was not as high as expected.
It’s an end of an era for the Clarion Borough Pool, but it did provide 60 years of memories that will live on.
