Mifflinburg Council Unanimously Renews Pool Contract With YMCA for 2026

Mifflinburg Borough Council unanimously approved an estimated $68,000 contract with the Greater Susquehanna Valley YMCA to operate the Mifflinburg Community Pool for the 2026 season, the borough announced following a Tuesday public meeting. The agreement, approved by all council members, marks the second consecutive year the YMCA will manage the pool; the borough contracted with the organization last year for $62,000.

The decision secures seasonal operations at the Mifflinburg Community Pool while the borough continues to weigh longer-term capital choices. Counsilman-Hunsaker was engaged to prepare a feasibility study that evaluated the pool’s current condition and presented renovation and replacement alternatives, including options to renovate, build a new pool, or convert the site to a spray pad. Counsilman-Hunsaker’s project page states, “In February 2024, the Borough of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, engaged Counsilman‑Hunsaker to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the current condition of the Mifflinburg Community Park Pool and explore renovation and replacement options,” and also lists “Most Recent Project Completed 2023” on the same project header; the borough and firm have not reconciled those timeline notations in the materials provided.

Cost concepts circulated with the study have placed potential capital price tags well above the borough’s operating subsidy. Published estimates referenced in local reporting put renovation at roughly $5.3 million, construction of a new pool at about $8.6 million, and removal with replacement by a smaller splash park at approximately $1.8 million. Those estimates also note the existing pool was built in 1959, and that an $8.6 million new build figure does not include costs tied to broader community park or Harry Haney Park renovations.

Council has already wrestled with how to use the feasibility work. In a Dec. 18 meeting on the planning documents, council members split on formally adopting the pool feasibility study while unanimously adopting a separate park master plan. Councilmembers Beverly Hackenberg, Kyle Aikey, Maura Heiges and Colbey Russell voted to adopt the pool study; Matthew Wagner and Linda Lewis voted against. Project Manager Rob Rowe told council, “Council is saying the studies will keep us going forward,” and said, “This gives us the blueprints. It allows the council to evaluate the plan and decide what to do next.” Mayor David Cooney cautioned that “Adopting the plans does not obligate the borough to do any specific plan.”

Borough minutes from recent municipal business show parallel activity on maintenance and community support. The borough received a $250 donation to the pool from resident Sharon Koppel of 514 Pinnacle Lane; Koppel’s thank-you card reads in full, “Please accept my donation for the Community Pool. The 10:15 adult swim every day made living with this pandemic so much better. Myself, and several other women friends truly enjoyed ourselves every day, all summer. Thank you for thinking outside of the box in these difficult times. You made our summer special! Sharon Koppel.” The minutes also record Uni-Tec Consulting Engineers’ review and a motion by Tod M. Steese, seconded by Richard J. Fry, to approve Change Order No. 5 to Dave Gutelius Excavating, Inc. for the Mill Street Reconstruction and Chestnut Street Water Main Replacement Projects for a decrease in the contract price of $3,850.09; the roll-call vote list in the released excerpt is truncated.

Council’s unanimous vote to renew YMCA operations for 2026 preserves public access to the pool for the coming season while the borough continues to examine the multi‑million-dollar options laid out in the Counsilman‑Hunsaker study and related cost estimates. The Daily Item page for the pool story was updated Feb. 23, 2026 at 10:32 a.m.