Area residents who recall swimming at the former Ligonier Beach resort shouldn’t expect to return to take a dip in the now-shuttered Ligonier Township pool, but township consultants have suggested visitors might someday descend into the drained basin of the expansive pool to engage in activities such as climbing a simulated rock wall.

Matt Lokay, project manager and landscape architect for Mackin Engineers and Consultants, said Wednesday a climbing wall could fit into the 7-foot deep end of the roughly 48,000-square-foot pool without violating state restrictions that limit surface development on much of the site, which is in a low-lying floodplain.

Other than reviving the pool, Lokay said, “We don’t want to rule anything out.”

Mackin is consulting with community members, organizations and a study committee to develop a master plan for transforming the site into a park by the end of the year. The 8.5-acre township-owned property is bordered by Route 30 on one side and Loyalhanna Creek on the opposite side.

Lokay said reopening the pool for swimming isn’t considered feasible because of the difficulty in obtaining permits to construct a bathhouse or other supporting facilities within the flood-prone area. He said regulations require any structures be elevated 1.5 feet above the floodplain level, while vertical elements such as fences would be ruled out because they could act as a dam, backing up water along the creek during flooding.

A 4,125-square-foot pavilion, the only usable building remaining at the site, would not be subject to the restrictions governing new construction, he said.

Not counting township and project officials, about 20 local residents attended a Wednesday meeting where Lokay discussed limitations and opportunities at the site and solicited ideas from the audience.

About 250 Ligonier Valley secondary school students took part in a recent survey for the Ligonier Beach study, with a skate park, basketball court and aquatic play area among the features they most want to see at the former resort. Community members are being encouraged to complete the same 14-question survey, with plans to have a link available on the township website.

Some other ideas Lokay mentioned for the former Ligonier Beach, either inside the pool or with low profiles on the surrounding land, include an obstacle or agility course, a walking trail, outdoor exercise equipment, an art installation, a splash pad, tracks for young kids to ride tricycles or bicycles, an outdoor classroom, a community garden, giant outdoor board games and improved access for fishing in the creek.

Ideas Lokay cited for year-round use include a temporary ice skating rink in the winter and a corn maze during warmer months.

Lokay said his hope is that the master plan will allow the former resort to once more become a regional destination for outdoor recreation. He said he wants to include some elements that recognize the unique history of Ligonier Beach, which opened in 1925 and boasted one of the largest outdoor swimming pools — holding 1.3 million gallons of water.

A standard faucet running around the clock would take 410 days to fill the pool, he said.

A key decision, Lokay said, will be whether the site should once more be a place where visitors can engage in active recreation or if more passive uses should be the focus.

“A lot of it comes back to how much we feel it can be a destination,” he told the attending citizens. “Or, do we want to make this kind of a natural space for the community?

“That’s what I need to know. This is your park, not ours.”

Also to be considered are the resources needed to maintain the site, including cleaning up after periodic flooding and insuring any structures or activities there.

Township resident James Rich suggested a “return to nature,” creating a wetland or marsh at the site similar to Spruce Flats Bog, a natural area at nearby Forbes State Forest that visitors can view from a boardwalk.

“Would there be a way to create a public space with amphitheater-type cascade seating in concrete that would maybe follow the contour of the park and pool, and you would have a multiuse area?” he asked. “Instead of mitigating what the flood damage would be, it would be almost coexisting with what may continue to be an increase in terms of flood events.”

“That’s definitely on the table,” Lokay said of the idea.

Rich questioned how long other proposed elements installed at the site might continue to engage and attract visitors.

“I’ve seen all these sort of interactive things at different parks, outdoor gym equipment, that is just rusting,” he said.

Other community members have argued any development at the Ligonier Beach site needs to generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining.

One suggestion from the audience Wednesday was using the space to host concerts by mid-level bands that would draw sizeable paying spectators.

Another audience member wondered how kids, who might be riding bicycles from nearby Ligonier Borough, would safely get to the site amid traffic on Route 30.

Lokay said the site plan would include a revamped access point that would provide sufficient sight distance for motorists pulling onto Route 30.

Another public meeting will be held to introduce the proposed plan for the site, which Lokay said could take up to five months to prepare.

The Ligonier Beach swimming pool closed in 2018 after flooding damaged the pool’s pumps and the furnace in an adjacent restaurant.

Grants from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the local Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation helped the township to purchase the closed resort the following year for $230,000, and to cover some related costs.

Federal funding, channeled through Westmoreland County, assisted with the demolition of several buildings at the site.

The Friends of Ligonier Beach group raised money to help the township match $50,000 in state funding for the Mackin study.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)