Jackson Township supervisors decline Myerstown Community Pool funding idea

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The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors voted May 5 against an offer made by Myerstown Borough Council regarding the Myerstown Community Pool.

The proposal stated that if the township contributed $10,000 to the pool, its residents would receive the same discounted rate that borough residents get for season passes.

The pool has several season pass rates. For families of up to four members, non-residents of the borough pay $350, and residents pay $260. Each additional child costs $40, and each additional caretaker costs $100. Individual season passes cost $185 for non-residents and $140 for residents. Senior citizen individual passes cost $120 or $90, depending on residency, and senior citizen couple passes cost $220 or $165.

The letter from the Myerstown Borough Council to Jackson Township states that township residents account for 32 out of the 153 season pass holders, contributing $9,728.78. A financial contribution would help support operational and maintenance costs, it said.

Township supervisor Thomas Houtz said contributing $10,000 could buy season passes for those 32 residents outright and doesn’t make financial sense.

Supervisor Thomas Morrissey said they asked Myerstown for the pool’s financial records and haven’t heard much in response.

“This came up last year, and then we kind of handed it over off to the rec board, but we also requested financials for income and expenses. Is it even viable or sustainable?” Morrissey said during the deliberation. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything.”

Houtz said he’s also heard several complaints from residents about police being called to the pool, and sometimes the pool was not available to the public due to cleaning requirements.

“When we had the request last year, we said we were going to monitor the operation of the pool, and last year, the pool had several black eyes and several fights, several times that the pool was shut down due to biological materials,” Houtz said.

Supervisors said they are rejecting the offer “because of lack of information that we requested.”

Ann Gruber, a resident and regular at the meetings, said she disagreed with the decision. She approached supervisors after the meeting adjourned and said it’s a community pool, so the township should contribute to it.

Wheatland Woods grant submission

Supervisors also unanimously voted to submit an application for the Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program Grant. They are asking for $250,000 to upgrade Wheatland Woods.

The township applied for this grant twice in the past, and is phasing the project to try to increase its chances. Splitting it into two phases means their asking amount will be lower, and it will show the Department of Community and Economic Development that they put some of their own money into it.

Phase one will be paid for by the township and will include putting in walking paths and an access drive, redoing the parking lot, adding perimeter fencing, and clearing and grubbing the area.

Houtz said they’re still in the engineering phase, so they don’t know when phase one work will start.

Phase two is what they are hoping for grant assistance for. It would include paving the park’s walking paths, putting in pickleball and basketball courts, adding ADA access from the parking lot to the courts, and landscaping.

Engineer Stephen Sherk said he isn’t sure when they will hear back about the grant, but in the past, the department offering the grant has made its decisions public in the late fall or early winter. If selected, supervisors agreed to commit the required 15 percent match.

In other business, supervisors voted to award a contract for the Wintersville Road traffic signal upgrade to C.M. High for $23,500.

The traffic lights will have a sensor that can pick up emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on to turn the light green for the vehicle. They will also have to expand the electronics cabinet. Houtz said there isn’t a timeline for the project’s completion yet.

The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will meet next at 60 N. Ramona Road on May 19 at 7:30 p.m.