LEBANON — An expected decline in COVID-19 cases combined with a possible influx of federal stimulus dollars has convinced city officials to reopen the Veterans Memorial Pool this summer.

The city-owned pool off Route 4 east of downtown was shuttered last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and officials had planned to keep it closed again this year.

However, the successful operation of other area pools and the potential for Lebanon to receive some of the roughly $350 billion allocated to state and local governments as part of the recently passed American Rescue Plan led to a reconsideration.

Paul Coats, Lebanon’s director of recreation, arts and parks, said Monday that the city started planning to reopen the pool over the winter.

Lifeguards and other seasonal positions are now being filled, he said, meaning there’s a “pretty high” chance that families will be allowed back this year.

“It’s all still contingent on COVID infection rates staying low or certainly not spiking,” Coats said in a phone interview. “If we have some sort of major string of events here that point to COVID infection rates climbing again, we would probably dial back.”

City officials debated in December whether to reopen the pool when crafting Lebanon’s $61.1 million annual budget. That spending plan cut about $121,000 that would normally go to pay for seasonal staff and other operating expenses, to the dismay of parents who argued that the facility was one of a few places where children could congregate.

Overall, more than 80 residents penned a letter to the City Council unsuccessfully lobbying, at the time, for the pool to open, saying it would help those struggling mentally and financially.

City Manager Shaun Mulholland said in an email Monday that it would take just over $146,000 to run the facility this summer. Aside from an eight-lane pool, it also boasts a splash pool with spray features and a picnic pavilion.

Those costs would be offset, though, with revenue from passes and punch cards.

According to the city’s website, a family of three can buy a season pass to the pool for $60, while five-day punch cards also cost $60 for a family of Lebanon residents.

Passes brought in about $27,000 in 2019, according to the city’s budget. To make up the difference, Coats said, the remaining money could come from the federal stimulus.

“We’re not proclaiming the pool is open yet but we are planning on it given these contingencies,” he said.

If the pool reopens, there will be plans in place to keep people socially distanced, Coats said. Employees would assign stations to families and attendance would be scheduled ahead of time, he said.

Coats said those restrictions are based on similar ones instituted at the privately run Quechee Club, which requires members to sign up for reservation blocks that allow four people at a time to swim laps at its indoor pool.

Lebanon’s Veterans Memorial Pool is one of the few municipally run pools within the Upper Valley. Hartford also operated the Sherman Manning Pools for 52 years before closing them in 2018 because of needed repairs.

That town now plans to spend $3.3 million building a new facility featuring four lap lanes, water features for children and a sloped entrance that’s accessible for people with physical disabilities.

The River Valley Club, which operates two indoor pools for its members, also requires reservations for members looking to either swim laps or take part in classes, according to owner Elizabeth Asch.

The pools, she said, are some of the most restricted parts of the Lebanon club because they’re often used by seniors and those most susceptible to serious illness.

“Unless you have a reservation for the pool, you’re not even supposed to walk through,” Asch said Monday. “ … Our rules have been very strict since the beginning but it’s working well for us.”

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no scientific reports tying COVID-19 cases to pools, hot tubs, water playgrounds or “other treated aquatic venues.”

Still, the agency recommends that people stay six feet from each other — a few inches longer than a typical pool noodle — in and around the water.

It also advises pool operators to limit occupancy and require the use of masks outside the water.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.