Imagine an indoor pool at Sharon Springs Central School, open for summer lessons and year 'round, to the community.
It may be a long shot, but the Village of Sharon Springs, the Town of Sharon, and SSCS are looking into the possibility of a state grant that could help fund such a project.
Sharon Springs Mayor Doug Plummer said Thursday that the three are working with consultants CT Male on a possible New York State Consolidated Funding Application grant that would cover pre-planning expenses.
Deadline for CFA applications is the end of July.
The indoor pool would replace the rapidly-deteriorating pool on Washington Avenue, Mayor Plummer said; it's a money pit that likely has only a couple of good years left.
Parking is also an issue at the pool, he pointed out; it's on private property and kids have to cross in front of traffic to get from cars to the pool.
"We're all very much in agreement that a pool at the school would be a great thing," Mayor Plummer said, pointing out that it would make the school district more attractive to people moving to the area.
"And the timing's really interesting," he said, with a possible pool in place just about the time the existing one has outlived its usefulness-and Sharon Springs Inc.s' Imperial Baths project opens.
Construction of the pool would likely be fundable with state aid.
The cost of writing the grant-about $2,500-would be shared by the village, town, and school.
"It's in the very, very early stages, but we're all very interested," Mayor Plummer said.
Monday, the SSCS school voted to be a part of the pre-planning grant application.
Business Manager Tony DiPace said afterwards that the school has a lot of questions and concerns about the possible project, but feels it's worth looking into.
"If we get the grant, hopefully, it will answer a lot of those questions," he said. "We all know the pool only has a few years left. It would make a lot of sense to move the rec program to the pool. It's definitely worth exploring."