Westbrook youth cool off in the Cornelia Warren Association pool built in 1947. Contributed / Westbrook Historical Society

Westbrook City Council Monday approved hiring a consultant to gather public input on whether the city should build an outdoor swimming pool.

The board unanimously voted 6-0 with Councilor Gary Rairdon absent and no one from the public spoke. The consultant, Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions in Brunswick, will be paid an estimated $7,830. He is expected to gather public input and compile a report by early January on what aquatic facilities the community wants, if any.

It may be a daunting task. The issue has been controversial, following the removal of a pool from the Cornelia Warren Recreation Area three years ago because repair costs were prohibitive.

Acting Mayor David Morse said in an email July 30 to the American Journal that a study and public input could lead to the creation of an outdoor pool, or another aquatic amenity like a splash pad, or could lead to a decision not to pursue an aquatic project at all.

The first community meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Aug. 15 at the community center, 426 Bridge St. A meeting Aug. 28 will coincide with launch of a city-sponsored public survey. A third meeting will be held in November.

Potential locations for a new pool or aquatic project could include outside the community center on Bridge Street or a short distance from the heart of the downtown at the Warren recreation area off Main Street. The recreation area now has basketball courts, fields, paved parking and an upgraded entrance.

“It is important to me that any decision the council makes on this is supported by robust public input,” Morse said.

The city-sponsored survey won’t be the only one circulating. A full-page advertisement, headlined “Public Input Wanted,” on Page 8 in the American Journal Aug. 1 also seeks public responses to an online survey about the feasibility of locating an aquatic project at the Warren location.

Among its questions are: Have you ever visited the Cornelia Warren Recreational Area? Would you be in favor of adding a splash pad concept to the Warren area? Would you be in favor of adding pickleball courts to the Warren area?

The ad doesn’t say who paid for it. It does say it aims to have public input prior to the “municipal-led public discussions.”

Phil Spiller, a former member of the city’s Recreation and Conservation Commission, led a drive and wrote a federal grant a few years ago that led to recreational improvements at the Warren site. When contacted Tuesday by the American Journal, Spiller said he would not disclose the individual or organization paying for the ad.

The Westbrook swimming tank built in early 1900s in the Presumpscot River. Contributed / Westbrook Historical Society

The Warren Recreation Area has a long history of providing swimming opportunities. A swimming tank constructed more than a century ago was in the Presumpscot River adjacent to the Warren recreation area. But the tank was replaced with an inground public pool there in 1947, according to Westbrook Historical Society information, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion raised $10,000 to help build it.

The city took out the pool in 2021 following a quote for repair costs of up to $1.6 million.