Costs could force North Canaan to close town pool

NORTH CANAAN — Concerns about the condition of the town swimming pool were brought to the North Canaan selectmen by representatives of the Recreation Commission at a meeting Monday, Oct.  7.

“Nobody wants to see it closed,” said recreation commission head Tammy MacDonald, but she said that expensive repairs are needed before it can open again. 

Two water heaters were replaced this year, taking the department over budget, but they have reconciled the difference, MacDonald said.

“We want ideas,” she told the selectmen. The annual cost for opening the pool runs about $2,300, with the water costing extra. In order to open in 2020, filters need to be replaced, along with other more complex repairs.

“The pool is something I grew up with and I would hate to see it go,” Selectman Craig Whiting commented.

Another recreation department representative cautioned that they don’t want to take funding away from soccer or baseball programs.

Selectman Christian Allyn said that North Canaan is the only town in the area lacking a water source like a pond to be used to fill the pool each year. He added that there is a possible water supply, but the pond is on private property.  

“I am dumbfounded by the cost,” Allyn said. Whiting added that if the pool should be closed for a year, and then re-opened, the pool would need to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Whiting indicated that he would follow up with the state to see if capital funds are available to improve an existing pool and he will research other grants. Other ideas included contacting the YMCA at Geer; contacting Falls Village officials to see about using their town pool; and learning the costs of re-piping the existing pool.

“We have the winter months to see what we can do,” First Selectman Charles Perotti said. 

Peter Pan bus lines will no longer stop in North Canaan, Perotti then announced, due to low ridership numbers.

Treating invasive knotweed throughout the town is a program that seems to be showing success, Allyn told the selectmen. He reported that many spots have been treated for three years in a row, achieving 99% control in the third year. He suggested training town crews in the treatment procedures and developing a plan for roadside vegetation management as a means toward “saving the town a lot of money.”

“I don’t know of any other town in Connecticut that has done as much as North Canaan,” Allyn said.

Arborist Tom Zetterstrom agreed as he reported on local progress. “We have set the pace for other towns. They are doing now what we did three years ago.” He said that he has noticed that bittersweet is getting a toehold along roadsides, something that town crews could manage.

The next meeting of the selectmen will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The date has been shifted to accommodate Election Day, which is Nov. 5.