Plans unveiled for Ligonier Beach redevelopment project

Plans were unveiled Thursday night for the redevelopment of the Ligonier Beach site in Westmoreland County.

A public meeting was held Thursday in Ligonier Township as officials showed off the development plans for the historic Ligonier Beach site.

Ligonier Beach originally opened in 1925 and was famous for its giant swimming pool.

The site was heavily damaged by flooding in 2018 and ultimately left vacant.

The township unveiled the plans for the site's redevelopment, saying that a feasibility study determined that a new pool is out of the picture at the site.

"We've been working on the master plan for almost a year now and this is the unveiling to the public," said Ligonier Township Manager Michael Strelic.  

The proposed plans at the site call for pickleball courts, volleyball courts, and a recreation center, among other features.

"We really wanted to take into consideration the history of the existing pool shell and use that in a really creative way," said Torrie Peterson from Mackin Engineering. 

Mackin Engineering said the plans for the site were put together with feedback from within the Ligonier Township community, including from students at the area schools.

"Basically, we take their ideas and we put them into a plan and from there, we create a master plan narrative report to hopefully shape the future of the site," Peterson said. 

Township officials said the total cost to redevelop the site, if approved, is expected to be around $19 million.