Ligonier Township park could host kickball tournament this summer

Ligonier Beach Park along Route 30 could host an oldies dance, yoga classes, dance lessons and a kickball tournament this summer as Ligonier Township starts putting the reclaimed property to use. The idea is bigger than a single event: officials want the former pool site to function as a park people actually visit, and kickball is one of the first activities under consideration.

Melissa Eller, who heads the Ligonier Beach committee of the township recreation board, said the goal is for the land to become a true community park and for residents to use it. The committee is collecting estimates for portable toilets and a post-and-rail fence, while the remaining pavilion from the former Ligonier Beach could serve as a base for activities. Township supervisors have also moved on the basics that make events possible. A contractor is set to install electrical service for the pavilion at no cost to the township, and Supervisor Wade Stoner said he would pay the electric bill for power at Ligonier Beach through the rest of 2026.

That early work matters because the park is still being built out around the edges. Heavy equipment and volunteer cleanup efforts have already cleared brush, trees and other debris from the property, and a later set of short-term ideas included picnic tables, trees and temporary bathrooms. Before the township can turn the site into a regular gathering place, it has to make the space usable, visible and safe enough for repeated programming. Kickball fits that bill better than most options because it is cheap to stage, easy to explain and suited to an open park setting.

The push to activate the site comes after years of debate over what should replace the closed pool. Ligonier Township bought the property in November 2018 after the former owners filed for bankruptcy, then watched the historic Ligonier Beach sit vacant after flooding damage in 2018 forced it shut permanently. The pool had opened on July 2, 1925, was once 400 feet long and 125 feet wide, and held about 1.3 million gallons of water. It was also more than a swimming hole, with oldies dances, live entertainment and gatherings around the pavilion and bandshell.

That history is part of why the new park plan is leaning toward social uses instead of trying to recreate the old pool. A feasibility study ruled out building another pool because of flood risk, permitting demands and maintenance costs. The broader master plan presented in March 2026 called for a five-phase redevelopment over at least five years and carried an estimated price tag of about $15.58 million, with a splash pad, winter ice rink, ice-skating ribbon, fire pits and a pavilion among the ideas. For now, a kickball tournament would give township leaders a chance to test the site as a public gathering space and see whether the old Ligonier Beach name can still draw people back for something new.