NEVERSINK — The Town of Neversink pool could be reopening as early as next summer, according to the town board during its monthly meeting as officials addressed concerns from resident Lynn Miller regarding progress on the facility's repairs.

The overall effort aims to address the aging infrastructure of the facility through a significant rehabilitation project that could ultimately necessitate a season-long closure down the road. The town, however, remains hopeful that the pool will operate next summer despite concerns regarding its legacy plumbing system and the likelihood of additional issues.

“We believe it will be open,” Town Supervisor Chris Mathews stated, reasoning that the town is not expecting to launch a major overhaul fast enough to affect the upcoming swim season.

That is not to say something could not turn up in the interim, however. Mathews noted that another unexpected catastrophic incident—like the one experienced a few years ago—could delay the pool’s eventual opening date.

During that prior incident, a leak caused the pool’s water level to drop significantly. Subsequent freezing without adequate water coverage caused sections of the gunite surface to crack and fall away, requiring emergency repairs to bring the facility back into service.

Councilperson Jim Schmidt confirmed that a new pump was recently installed at the pool, which the board hopes will keep the facility operational for another season.

“So if nothing else goes wrong, the pump should work through another season?” Miller asked, with Schmidt confirming.

However, board members acknowledged that the new equipment was integrated into an aging plumbing network—a point of concern when the pump was put in. Mathews detailed that during installation, there was “a lot of confusion” regarding the pre-existing system and whether to attach new components to older infrastructure. The town ultimately proceeded with the installation and has not encountered major issues thus far.

Although the town does not expect to begin a comprehensive revamp before next summer, officials intend to move forward with an engineering study to assess the necessary repairs and establish a master plan. Funding for the preliminary planning stage must also be secured before the complete scope and cost of the project are finalized.

Miller confirmed she passed along contact information to Town Clerk Staci Conjura regarding an engineering vendor based in the Albany area that specializes in pool infrastructure. No formal decision regarding an engineering consultant was announced during the meeting.

Ultimately, the future project will involve replacing major components of the pool's underground plumbing, though the full extent of the required work remains to be determined.