Politics & Government

Ardmore Pool Fees Increase 5%

The Board of Commissioners voted 7-6 in favor.

A bare majority of Lower Merion's Board of Commissioners approved a 5 percent increase of  and  pool membership fees Wednesday night.

By a 7-6 vote, the fee for a family to belong for the summer at Ardmore increased from $67 to $71, and the equivalent fee at Belmont Hills rose from $313 to $329.

Commissioners including Bala Cynwyd's George Manos and Brian McGuire argued for a one-year rate freeze.

Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Said Commissioner Brian Gordon, "This is a non-discretionary item that has to fit within a family's budget. If we price it too high, we're just going to lose families."

But in support of the measure, Commissioner Phil Rosenzweig said, "I don't necessarily view a pool as a fundamental right." Commissioner Scott Zelov reminded his colleagues they need to pay off debt service for pool renovations and added that though fewer people visited the pools last year than the year before, the weather was often unfavorable, too.

Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Also Wednesday night, the board voted in favor of pursuing a federal grant to aid Ardmore Transit Center revitalization plans.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here