NORWICH – As part of an effort to obtain grant money for the renovation of Kurt Beyer Pool, city officials are asking for input from residents who use the pool on a regular basis. A popular spot for swimmers of all ages to catch a break from the summer heat, the pool – in need of major repairs – has remained closed this summer.

City of Norwich Planning and Community Development Specialist Todd Dreyer is currently in the process of applying for grant funding through the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Environmental Protection Fund Program. An “essential part of the city’s application” will be a “demonstration of community need and evidence of community support,” he wrote in an e-mail that went out to the community on Thursday.

To accomplish this, Dreyer is asking for written testimonials from those who recognize Kurt Beyer Pool’s significance as an “important recreational amenity” and “swimming instruction resource.”

The pool typically serves approximately 15,000 swimmers each summer, with five surrounding townships contracting with the city for swimming instruction programs.

The $217,500 Environmental Protection Fund grant would cover the majority of the city’s engineering estimates for repairs at Kurt Beyer – approximately $290,000 – and the city would have to match 25 percent of the total project cost through cash and an estimated $10,000 in administrative costs considered as in-kind services, said Dreyer. A proposed passive solar water heating system – and the fact that other municipalities also use the pool – will improve the city’s chances in obtaining the grant, he added.