Ligonier Township was awarded a $42,500 state grant toward the cost of renovating the former Ligonier Beach swimming pool and restaurant as a recreational site.

“It’s nice that we got this funding, but it wasn’t the total amount we wanted,” said Terry Carcella, township manager.

While township supervisors have yet to decide on the scope of redevelopment efforts at the former attraction along Route 30 east of Ligonier Borough, officials applied to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for a grant to cover half of $270,800 in proposed improvements.

“The theme was accessibility,” Carcella said. He said proposed project elements included improving storm water drainage, repairing the parking area, installing a new handicapped-compliant restroom and fixing and extending a walkway to provide access for fishing in the adjacent Loyalhanna Creek.

“The restroom was a big-ticket item,” Carcella said.

According to the grant announcement, DCNR awarded the funds through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, which is meant to assist with rehabilitation and further development of projects like the Ligonier Beach property. In addition to the items Carcella noted, state officials indicated the project could include construction of a boat launch and landscaping.

Township administrative assistant Bethany Caldwell said she would seek additional state guidance on the grant parameters.

A committee established to study options at the property is expected to make a recommendation in time for supervisors to review in November, Carcella said.

During two public input sessions, the committee heard a variety of suggestions for amenities at the site, including a dog park and renovation and reopening of the pool — which could cost more than $6 million and would require an agreement with an outside party to operate it, according to Carcella.

A less-elaborate option would involve transforming the property into a natural area and pond with islands, where fishing would be permitted.

The township last year bought the iconic swimming pool and restaurant for $230,000. The site did not open the previous summer season, in part because of flood damage to the pool pump and the restaurant furnace.

The township received an additional state grant of $130,000 along with $250,000 from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation to help with costs of reinventing the property.

A grant application also was submitted to the WalkWorks program, a partnership between the state Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh. If approved, that funding could be applied toward a proposed extension of the Ligonier Valley Trail — east from the borough to Ligonier Beach and, eventually, to Laughlintown.

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