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Members Protest Sale Of Balt. Co. Swim Club

COCKEYSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) ― The sale of a Baltimore County pool park has its members protesting the deal.

Gigi Barnett reports the members say if it's sold, they'll lose a place to swim and years of memories.

The cry of protesters rang out as many gathered, upset over the recent sale of the Padonia Park Swim Club in Cockeysville.

"We just love our pool, and we're sad to see a piece of land that's been there for almost 50 years sold," said Tracey Stein, club member.

This weekend, club members took up their signs, donned shirts and picketed just feet away from the new buyer.

The new buyer is a church, Grace Fellowship Church.
 
Now instead of swimming, fishing and cookouts on the sprawling 30-acre site, Grace Fellowship is planning a 2,500 seat sanctuary. That's enough space for its growing congregation.

"We're not against the church. We don't want to deny anybody going to any kind of organized religion at all. We just love our pool, and we're sad to see a piece of land that's been there for almost 50 years sold," said Stein.

"It's kind of sad anytime you have an end of an era, and we don't feel real happy about having an end of an era," said Ira Rigger, Padonia Park Club owner.

Rigger says he had no plans to sell the facility at first, but the church's offer was too good to refuse.

"We had turned other people away, but there's was a price at which we were quite happy to sell the club," said Rigger.

The sale is still in its early phases. Club members say as long as there's a chance to convince buyer and seller to save the club, they'll continue to protest.

"We would prefer that if they were going to sell the pool that they would sell it to somebody else who's going to keep it as it is. We realize that that probably won't happen, but we want to voice our opinion on how we feel about it," said Stein.

About 800 people use the pool every day during the summer months when it's open, but swim club owners say those people still have plenty of time to swim.

That's because the contract to buy the pool is still new, and it could take between three and five years before it's finalized.

The deal could cost as much as $30 million. Pool owners say if it falls through, they won't put the club back on the market.

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