Ardmore Pool will be closed this summer

A Lower Merion Township-owned pool in Ardmore will close for the summer as work to redevelop a local community center gets underway ahead of an impending federal funding deadline.

Township commissioners last month unanimously voted to close the Ardmore Avenue Pool for the season to accommodate construction of the new Ardmore Avenue Community Center. The project, a $22 million effort that also includes improvements at the nearby Center for Positive Aging in Lower Merion, will be paid for in part with more than $12 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Act.

But in order to receive the money, officials said, the project must be completed by December 2026, which puts it on a tight construction timeline that forced the pool closure. In Lower Merion Township board of commissioners meetings last month, leaders described the decision to close as regrettable, but unavoidable.

“I wish we had been dealt a different hand,” commission president Todd M. Sinai said at an early March meeting. “Let’s not think that we were being cavalier, or we don’t think this is a big deal. It absolutely is, but we’re keeping our eye on the ball.”

Construction impacting the pool, which is at 122 Ardmore Ave., is slated to begin in mid-April, starting with demolition of the pool house, where the facility’s showers and restrooms are located, Lower Merion Parks and Recreation Department director Donna Heller told The Inquirer. In addition to the ongoing construction, that particular element of the project presents operational issues for the pool, as the Pennsylvania Public Bathing Place Law requires public pools to have a bathhouse with showers and restrooms.

At an earlier commission meeting, Heller said the township looked into renting shower facilities and trailers for the summer to meet that requirement, but neither the pool site nor the community center would be able to accommodate them. And subsequent construction at the Ardmore Avenue Community Center would also likely include power and water outages to the pool area, further complicating operations.

“Ideally, we would have it open [for the summer],” Heller told The Inquirer. “But with the timing of everything, it wasn’t something that could be put on hold.”

Heller said the pool is expected to reopen in May 2026. As part of the revamp project, the facility will have a new pool house, as well as a new splash pad, she said.

With the Ardmore Avenue Pool closed, officials have recommended that residents join the Belmont Hills Pool, about four miles away. Commissioners also voted to restrict membership at Belmont Hills to Lower Merion and Narberth residents, with those from Narberth facing a 6.5% increase in membership costs for the season. Previously, membership was open to other out-of-towners, but was restricted for 2025 due to concerns of overcrowding with the closure of the Ardmore Avenue Pool.

As a result of the increase, a family of three from Narberth would pay a $668 fee for a 2025 summer membership to the Belmont Hills Pool, compared to $627 in 2024, according to a township issue briefing. Individuals would pay $52 to $309, depending on age, up from $49 to $290 in 2024.

Residents of Lower Merion Township, which includes Ardmore, would not see an increase in fees. Discounted memberships for residents based on Department of Housing and Urban Development income guidelines are still being offered.

Seasonal employees who usually work at the Ardmore Avenue Pool, meanwhile, would be invited to return to work at Belmont Hills, Heller said at an earlier commission meeting, noting that “returning staff takes priority” over new hires.

At the commission meetings, some attendees expressed frustration that Ardmore residents would not have a walkable pool near them. Officials have said that the township was working to partner with other local pools to take in folks who usually use the Ardmore pool, and also potentially provide transportation to the Belmont Hills Pool. But, Heller said, officials do not yet have any announcements to make regarding those efforts.

Additional updates, Heller added, would be posted to the Lower Merion Township website.