Demo Work Starts On Old Horowitz Pool In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Demolition work on the old Horowitz Pool is in full swing at Vernon's Henry Park in an effort to clear the way for a new version of the facility when the warm weather hits.

A crew from Juliano's Pools of Vernon Wednesday was busy with a backhoe breaking up concrete and gunite that made up the pool and deck. It had been deemed too old and dangerous for future use.

In early April, the Vernon Town Council voted to award a $1.247 million contract to Juliano's to replace Horowitz Pool. A pool with a locally fashioned commercial strength liner and in-house clubhouse renovations will maintain the traditional look of the venerable aquatic facility while bringing it into the 21st century, officials said.

Horowitz Pool opened to the public in August 1953 and was in service through 2019. In the early 1990s, the town undertook a renovation project "to extend the pool's useful life." Town officials said that Parks and Recreation and Department of Public Works staff members spent "thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours" maintaining and improving the pool over the past several years, but the structure is now seven decades old and is "beyond its useful life."

Since 2018, Mayor Daniel Champaign, council members and town staffers have examined a variety of options, including replacing Horowitz Pool. In addition to a splash pad, another idea was a year-round indoor aquatic facility and a seasonal outdoor concrete pool. The projected cost of the indoor facility and outdoor concrete pool was in the millions of dollars.

In November 2022, requests for proposals were sent out and the town conducted a series of walk-throughs of the pool site for all contractors interested in submitting bids. A plan from Juliano's, submitted in December 2022, won out, officials said.

The pool liner will be 60 mils thick, according to pool company owner Brian Juliano. A residential pool liner is 20 mils thick and a cold water wetsuit is about 6.5 mills thick.

Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said the proposal from Juliano's is a "cost-effective way to replace Horowitz Pool."

Juliano, who learned to swim at Horowitz, said the pool will have a lifetime warranty and that he intends to personally oversee construction, which is estimated to take 13 months. The projected lifespan of the 60-mil pool liner is about 15 years, Juliano said. Rips and tears can be easily repaired through a process called thermal membrane welding, which leaves the repair as strong or stronger than the liner, he said.

The project will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act grant funds.