West Seneca pool makes a comeback

But after a summer in which admissions to the pool increased nearly tenfold over 2021, the Town Board on Monday formally rejected the bid to demolish the outdoor pool.

The board credited public participation and community advocacy in its decision to reject demolition.

“There is no question on anybody’s mind that the pool has been a success and it’s going to be open next year and hopefully every year after that,” Supervisor Gary Dickson said at the Town Board meeting.

That wasn’t quite enough to satisfy the pool’s most ardent supporter, Courtney Frances Fallon, a frequent commenter at Town Board meetings.

“I am very happy that the 2024 town budget will contain funding for the pool,” Fallon said.

But she asked if the board would formally reverse its vote to close the pool.

Board members did not hold a second vote, but Council Member Robert J. Breidenstein said the permanent closing was reversed when the pool opened this year.

The pool, which was built in 1976, was closed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The board voted May 23, 2022, to close the pool, citing the inability to hire enough lifeguards for the summer, a decreasing number of people using it and repairs that would be needed.

Public outcry led the board to fund a review of the mechanical and operational conditions of the pool, and the board funded the pool in the 2023 budget. The review found repair and maintenance costs were lower than anticipated, and repairs did not have to be made immediately.

The town had a major push to hire lifeguards and restructured fees for the pool this year. And last month the board extended the opening of the pool for three weeks, with the closure date Sept. 1.

West Seneca Recreation Supervisor Lauren Masset said last year that 360 patrons visited the pool 976 times…