Talks start for pool in Rockville Centre

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Diving in to what is sure to be a very long process, the Rockville Centre Aquatic Center Evaluation Committee met for the first time on Feb. 26 at the Recreation Center. The 14-member committee has been tasked with researching and evaluating the feasibility of a pool in the village. No one on the committee is allowed to have any financial interest in building a pool.

Committee head Jack Matthews explained that certain questions must be answered, such as: should the pool be indoors and/or outdoors, where should it be, does the board of the trustees or the residents make a final decision on a pool, and — most importantly — should the village build a pool at all?

“The bad news is we have no budget,” said Matthews. “So if we want a study done, we don’t have the right to go out and order it ourselves. I have been assured that if we need something done, or a professional opinion … that the village will undertake it for us.”

According to Matthews, the village has looked into building a pool a few times in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but such measures had failed. In one attempt, a certain number of people had to make a deposit and agree to be pool members for three years. Half of the required number was reached.

The committee also discussed potential locations for a pool, including south of Skelos Field, Lister Park, Reverend Days Park, the Recreation Center and underneath the water tower next to South Side High School.

This push for a pool was started in July, when resident Mary Beth Kearns presented a petition to have a public pool built in the village. As of right now, the petition has more than 500 signatures. Kearns’ husband, Christopher Kearns, is on the committee.

In the meantime, Mayor Francis X. Murray and the Board of Trustees reached a deal in which 100 families from Rockville Centre can purchase memberships at the Lynbrook village pool for $750.