Lisbon Mayor Peter Wilson discusses what is needed for the Sadie Van Fossan pool to reopen on Memorial Day 2026 at Tuesday’s Lisbon council meeting. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)

LISBON — Agreeing it was better to get the ball rolling sooner than later on the repairs needed at Sadie Van Fossan Pool, Lisbon Village Council forwarded a motion to obtain a scope of project needed for prospective engineers.

“I would hate to start working on the pool in March and April and then have to delay the opening,” Mayor Peter Wilson said.

The village has been dealing with a leak at the pool but it was filtration problems that ultimately forced the pool to close earlier than anticipated this past season. The leak — which is likely on the eastern wall — will need to be repaired and the pump replaced before it can re-open in 2026. Costs could be as high.

“The overall costs of this, we are unsure. We are looking at anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 to repair the pool with putting in a new filtration system and possibly putting in a new eastern wall or repairing in,” Wilson said. ‘That’s a lot of money.”

Aside from money, time is also an issue if the village hopes to open the pool on Memorial Day of 2026.

‘There is a specific timeframe. There is a specific process,” Fiscal Officer Tracey Wonner said. ” You’re going to have to hire an engineer. That engineer is going to have to engineer the project then you have to bid. You’re already talking in the winter and unless that can be done in the 30 to 45 days, your time frame from this time forward is getting extremely small.”

Wonner said the first thing needed was a scope of project.

Wilson floated the idea of using the profits from the potential sale of the rock climbing cliffs to Western Reserve Conservancy to finance the pool repairs. Western Reserve Conservancy is set to attend the Sept. 23 council meeting to discuss further the groups’ proposal to purchase the cliff faces and parts of the Willow Grove Park. Western Reserve Conservancy is hoping for one of two things, a purchase conservation easement for 60 acres or a fee title acquisition for 41 acres.

Still, some members of council are cautious.

“We have $237,000 in the [working] capital and I understand the sale, but we have to figure out when that sale is going to happen,” Councilwoman Melissa Hiner said. “We can’t put the cart before the horse. I mean, yes the pool is important but there are other things that are important too. And we are also extremely down in the general fund.”

The general fund has decreased by $191,031. That can be attributed to last year’s pass-through grants, like American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which are federal or state grants that an intermediary organization (called a pass-through entity) receives and then distributes to subrecipients like local governments.

Wonner explained that “revenue is up and income tax is up” but when “you don’t look at it as a fluid thing, those pass-through grants show revenue and that’s what we were so high last year.”

In other matters, council heard that East Washington Street will be reopened for traffic before the start of the Johnny Appleseed Festival and also learned the reason for the closure — a mistake by paving crews that installed the manhole covers upside down and then cemented them under the watch of two engineers.

“[The engineers] said they thought the manholes were purchased the other way so that’s why they put them in and then they concreted in and realized there was a problem when they put the cover on and it stuck out about three-quarters of an inch,” said Chris Petersen, senior plant operator for the Village of Lisbon Water Department

Police chief Mike Abraham said closing just the side where the covers jut out couldn’t be done as two cars cannot safely pass each other.

In old business, Wilson reported that a “punch list” of the Grant Street Bridge replacement project has been completed and “a final reckoning” of what the village owes due to two work-change orders for the water main will be made available to council by the end of the year. The village will owe 20% of the final figure. The $3.6 million project, which was funded almost entirely by grants, was a crucial investment for the village to maintain essential emergency response times.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

— Wilson asked council to consider a surcharge for commercial sewer users outside the village. Wilson said lines running to the lift station were clogged and said it was unfair that village residents shoulder the burden of making repairs to sewer lines that are being used by companies outside the village limits.

— All village employees received a 3.5% pay raise with the passing of the payroll ordinance as an emergency.

— Wilson announced the village was awarded $465,070 from the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Willow Grove bridge project to connect the park with the Greenway Trail. The bicycle/pedestrian bridge will replace the bridge that was washed away in the floods of 2004. The project will cost $930,000.

— Council approved the second reading of a revision to the current skateboarding ordinance.

— Council approved the purchase of 10 batteries for fire department radios at a cost up to $2,000.

— Council approved repairs to the street department’s 2006 International dump truck at a cost up to $6,000.

— The appointment of a new member of the Architectural Design and Review Board was tabled to allow the Chamber of Commerce to review the application.

— Council appointed Ryan Berg to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

— Council candidate Joe Vitko asked all council candidates to participate in a forum Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the high school.

— Petersen reported the village is hopeful to switch over to the new water tower by mid-October, early-November. Residents can expect water outages when that occurs, but will be notified in advance.