Old Ligonier Beach property closed until further notice

The old Ligonier Beach property is now closed until further notice. That decision was made Tuesday night during the township's board of supervisors meeting.

At issue is an insurance assessment that's needed for existing hazards on the property. After the popular pool closed in 2018 due to a massive flood from the nearby creek, folks in the township have been trying to determine what the best step forward is for the space.

A clean-up was done to remove debris from the area by volunteers in the spring, and the location was open to the public, that is, until Tuesday night's meeting.

"We're going to do a safety check," said John Beaufort, the chairman of the Ligonier Township Board of Supervisors. "Our insurance inspector is going to come out and walk the property, see what he finds as problems and then it will be up to the township to fix it."

Beaufort says the insurance assessor will be looking at things like the old piping for the pool and the old stone bathroom building that is still up, which will likely have to come down.

In the meantime, he says that while the property is being assessed for risk, the recreation board is still trying to develop the 8.5 acres into a park.

But that's where it gets tricky. Most people want to see the space redeveloped. And while nothing for the redevelopment of the space is set in stone by any means, some neighbors and supervisors, like Dan Resenic, want less put on the land, largely due to how much it floods.

"I am not opposed to redeveloping that property," Resenic said. "But I don't want a $17 million Disneyland-type atmosphere that we cannot maintain."

The project is still seeking financial support from government grants and private foundations, and Resenic says that fields, trees, picnic tables and a walking path will be easier to build and keep, as opposed to a park with, say, a skating area or a potential splash pad.

Above all, though, both sides agree that the pool is not coming back.

Ultimately, no matter what type of park the area becomes, the next step is completing this insurance assessment to ensure a safe environment for the community.

There is no official timeline for when this area will reopen to the public or when the park project may be completed. But all the volunteers KDKA-TV has spoken with who have been working out at the site say that once this park is completed, they hope it's an area the community not only utilizes but is proud of.