Pool Committee Recommends Against A Public Pool For Londonderry

LONDONDERRY, NH — The committee that was tasked with studying the feasibility and public interest in building a community outdoor pool in Londonderry has decided against the idea. The committee issued a report earlier this month that states the town would be better served having a community center rather than a swimming pool.

The Town Council had created the Pool Study Committee late summer of last year. Over the following months, committee members studied public pools of neighboring towns, potential locations of a Londonderry pool, as well as costs and the anticipated public interest. According to its final report released April 1, due to the high cost and the lack of an "easily buildable" location in town, the committee recommends against a community pool. Rather, the committee decided that Londonderry's needs would be better served with a public-private partnership to build a new community center.

The report states that according to information from the town assessor, about 35 percent of Londonderry's single-family homes already have their own outdoor pools. And that doesn't take into account condominium or apartment residents who have pool access in their own residential complexes. Although committee members had been planning to conduct a public survey this spring to gauge the public's interest in a public outdoor pool, the idea was abandoned due to logistical and cost issues, the report states.

After studying potential locations for a community pool in Londonderry, committee members found that the cost of installing the pool would be between $1.2 million and $1.5 million. The majority of the cost would come from installing water and sewer lines, and installing bathrooms and additional parking, the report states.

Studying other communities' pools, the committee learned that staffing a lifeguard and maintaining a public pool would cost about $75,000 to $100,000, according to the report. Although the town could help make up for the costs by charging for activities such as swimming lessons, the report notes that due to the relatively short New England summers, public pools in nearby towns only operate about 10 to 12 weeks a year.

The Pool Study Committee recommends that the Town Council consider building a community center instead. The report proposes engaging YMCA about a public-private partnership on the idea.

Members of the Pool Study Committee consist of several town residents, a town manager designee, and representatives from the Planning Board and the Recreation Committee.