LOWER MERION — During a meeting last week, Lower Merion Township commissioners finalized plans to close the township-owned swimming pool in Ardmore for the summer of 2025 to clear the way for the construction of a new community center.
During a special board meeting, officials said the pool needs to close this summer due to the impacts of the construction of the new Ardmore Avenue Community Center.
“Closing the Ardmore pool for 2025 is a very difficult recommendation to make, knowing how much it means to the community, but it was the right one to make,” Donna Heller, director of Parks and Recreation for Lower Merion, said during a parks and recreation committee meeting in early March. “The current construction project is a two-year project, which is phased. We can’t push the time or move the time for this project because we need to have it completed by the end of 2026 to meet the funding needs of the ARPA requirements and meet that deadline.”
Demolition of the existing bathhouse is scheduled to begin around April 9. Under the Pennsylvania bathing code, a bathhouse with restrooms and showers is required.
The township considered renting shower facilities and trailers to meet the state’s requirements but determined there was not enough space and hookups that would be required to use them. There also wasn’t enough room in the Ardmore Avenue Community Center for what was needed.
Along with its decision to close the Ardmore pool, the commissioners also voted to restrict access to the Belmont Hills pool to Lower Merion and Narberth residents only. People not residents of Lower Merion will also face a 6.5% increase in the cost of a membership for the 2025 season.
Discounted membership fees will continue to be offered to Lower Merion residents based on HUD income guidelines.
The vote to close the pool was unanimous.
Originally Published: March 21, 2025 at 5:23 AM EDT