Auction slated for Ligonier Beach items; demolition of 2 buildings planned

Memorabilia and furnishings from the shuttered Ligonier Beach swimming pool and restaurant will go on the auction block Oct. 23 in preparation for plans to demolish two structures there and clear the way for revitalization of the Ligonier Township landmark.

Mark Ferry Auctioneers of Unity will conduct the 9 a.m. auction of items from the bar and restaurant, including framed prints and beer advertising, and from the bathhouse — the two buildings that are to be razed on the Route 30 site now owned by the township.

“There are tables and chairs and memorabilia, and fencing that we’re not going to use,” township manager Terry Carcella said.

The auction will include items that were used during the summer 2019 filming in the pool of “Unsinkable,” an independent movie about the sinking of the Titanic and its aftermath. Also included will be surplus items from the township municipal building and garage — such as leaf blowers and file cabinets.

The nonprofit Friends of Ligonier Beach, which has been working with the township on plans for redeveloping the recreational site, will sell food concessions during the auction. The group has organized three cleanup days at the property, attracting about 30 volunteers each time.

“We anticipate there will be a large attendance, and our group worked particularly hard for the property to look good,” said Julie Donovan, secretary of the Friends. The volunteers, she said, pulled weeds, removed brush and scraped several layers of paint off the pool.

Shortly after the auction, township officials plan to seek bids for demolishing the buildings, which are in danger of becoming eyesores.

“We’re anxious to get the buildings down so we can plan what we’re going to do with the rest of the property,” Carcella said.

Featuring a 1.3 million-gallon swimming pool, Ligonier Beach operated from 1925 through 2017.

The township purchased the property in 2019 for $230,000. The site did not open the previous summer season, in part because of flood damage to the pool pump and the restaurant furnace.

The township supervisors have accepted a conceptual plan for the site, submitted by the Friends group, supervisors Chairman John Beaufort said.

“We’re looking at something we could do with that property to help the businesses and bring more people in, an attraction for the township,” he said.

Donovan said plans include repurposing of the pool.

“The focal point of our plan is converting the existing swimming pool into a natural filtration swimming pool,” she said. “It wouldn’t be a chlorinated swimming pool. We received permission to approach the Department of Health to begin the process of seeking their approval.

“We’re partnering with the township to restore and preserve the original structure of the swimming pool and help develop a nature-based recreation destination there.”

Water from the pool would be cleaned and clarified with the controlled flow of water through a biological filter.

Donovan said the Friends plan to raise funds to assist with the project. Funding the township previously received for the site includes $250,000 from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation and two state grants totaling $178,500.

Other proposals for the site include a pier that could be used for fishing on Loyalhanna Creek, a connection to the Ligonier Valley hiking and biking trail, a pollinator garden, a permeable parking area, a new restaurant/special event building and a new bathhouse/ecosystem education center.

Carcella said the township plans to retain three pavilions on the property, along with a historic bathhouse along the highway. Also remaining are a stone arch and the basement level of the pool filtration building.