Since then, city officials have floated a number of ideas for what to do with the old swimming hole, including filling it in to create green space and/or converting the area into a dog park.
As for what the residents of the First Ward want, most said they would like the city to keep the tradition of swimming at Sunset Park alive.
For 30 years, Audrey McKanna has brought her children, and now her grandchildren, to Sunset Park. As granddaughters Chloe, 3, and Penelope, 1, tumbled around the playground, McKanna said she understands there are fewer dollars to go around but she would like city officials to reconsider closing the pool.
“My preference would be for the pool to stay open. I know it’s expensive, but it is just so healthy for the kids to spend their time out in the sun swimming,” she said.
City Manager Judy Gilleland said it would cost about $70,000 to demolish the pool. She is recommending Middletown Park Board review the issue and make a recommendation to City Council on the next course of action for Sunset Pool.
A summer tradition gone silent
Listening to the squeal of children and the boom of the announcer during swim meets at Sunset Pool used to be a summer tradition at Janet Murphy’s home.
But this year it was quiet.
Murphy called the homes around Sunset Park where the pool is located a “front-porch neighborhood” where every night families sit out on their porches and talk. They took their kids to the pool to cool off in the summer, participate in swimming lessons and join the swim team.
With rising maintenance costs and lower attendance, city officials pulled the plug at the end of 2009 on running the pool in-house and a plan to run the facility privately also proved too costly. As a result, Sunset has sat empty, collecting weeds, bugs and the occasional graffiti.
Even with all the fond memories of Sunset Pool, Murphy said she would rather Middletown officials fill it in than leave it in its current state since it appears they will never have the funds to operate it.
“If you are not going to use something, get rid of it. Why leave it as an eyesore?” she said.
City officials estimate it will cost about $70,000 to demolish the pool itself. City Manager Judy Gilleland said likely the main building would be left intact for future purposes. There is still about $18,000 left in the Sunset Pool fund from a three-year $150,000 grant from AK Steel Corp. She said she has asked park board to make a recommendation as to whether City Council should move to appropriate funds for the demolition or keep the pool for a few more years.
Middletown Police Maj. Mark Hoffman also made a presentation to City Council in July on the feasibility of converting Sunset Pool and part of the surrounding park into a “bark park” for dogs.
Hoffman said the current pool area is about 1.16 acres — smaller than the two acres usually required for a standard bark park. Including removal of the pool, it would cost about $103,826 to repurpose the area and fence in additional green space across from the pool for use by the dogs.
The Bark Park is not a proposition nearby resident Jill Dudley would favor. She moved to the neighborhood with her two young boys and husband to be close to the park — not to dogs.
“It already drives me crazy that people have their dogs in there and don’t clean up after them,” Dudley said. “If it really is a money problem, then fill it in and make it pretty. Don’t make it just a mosquito pit.”
Nathan Johns, another young parent who moved to the area about two years ago, said he enjoys taking his daughter to the park but doesn’t have an opinion on the pool either way.
“We just like the park and hope they can keep that well-maintained,” he said.
Tom Duncan, who has spent all of his 52 years in Middletown, said Sunset Pool means too much to the community to keep it shut down.
“I think they should probably do whatever they have to to keep the pool open,” Duncan said. “That’s a good place to have a pool and it gives the kids something to do to keep them out of trouble.”
Neighbor Phyllis Cunningham agreed, and called Sunset Pool “a community asset.”
“If they are going to spend money, they should spend it to keep up what is a traditional part of Middletown.”
A teacher in the community, Cunningham said she has a daughter working at AK Steel and a son-in-law who is a police officer. She said she “loves the Middletown community” and believes the city should always invest money to help keep the traditions of the city alive for future generations.
“It’s part of the neighborhood. It’s a part of the community,” she said.
Councilman Tom Allen, who represents the First Ward, said he is still familiarizing himself with the situation regarding the facility. Right now, he said, he does not have a strong opinion either way on the pool.
“Obviously, if there funds available to keep the pool open that would be the best solution — but that doesn’t seem to be the case,” he said. “We’ll see what the park board recommends to council and see if how that meshes with what the residents want.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.
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