AUBURN — City officials Monday put support behind an effort to revive swimming at Outlet Beach, a project that staff said had essentially been shelved after the swimming hole continued to test high for bacteria following its initial closure in 2013.

Now, the city plans to look at how the bacteria might be mitigated, and if swimming is restored, how much it could cost to support the public park that also features bathrooms and a snack shack.

During a workshop session, officials were presented with a series of recommendations from the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, which has argued that the city’s only source for public swimming should be prioritized and reopened. If swimming can’t happen, the board said, there should be other water recreation like kayaking or paddle boats.

While officials didn’t form a concrete plan, a majority of the council said it should be a priority and were open to adding funding to next year’s budget to address it.

Misty Edgecomb, chairwoman of the advisory board, described Outlet Beach as a popular community park with a history, and one that still has functional facilities that are sitting idle.

“If you grew up in Auburn, you probably swam there,” she said. “The fact that it has working bathrooms is huge, but the fact that they’re not in use is sad.”

She said if the beach can be reopened, the city should consider adding outdoor showers, and “maybe a little sand.”

The swimming hole has been plagued with water quality issues during the summer months due to poor water flow and circulation.

When the beach was closed in 2013, the water exceeded Environmental Protection Agency levels of either E. coli bacteria or enterococci bacteria in 12 of 19 tests. City officials were waiting until the water was clear of bacteria for at least 30 days, but it never happened.

Recreation Director Sabrina Best said that after talks restarted among staff this year, basic tests were conducted, which showed numbers consistent with previous testing. According to the council memo, it was tested six times in 2020. In two of the samples, the water exceeded E. coli levels.

“The need for something still seems evident,” she said.

Lake Auburn feeds the pond through a single, 25-foot-wide outlet spillway under Route 4. Fresh water follows an eight-foot-deep stream through the pond and runs out through a spillway into Bobbin Mill Brook, under Fair Street.

The City Council in 2018 added $100,000 into its Capital Improvement Plan for testing and a study of the beach, but an official study was never done.

Councilor Leroy Walker said the city, rather than paying for an expensive third-party study, should ask its own water department to find out what could be done to better circulate and provide oxygen to the water.

I would think there’s enough smart people around to not have to do an expensive study,” he said.

Others said the issue is fecal matter from ducks and geese, which could be addressed the same way it is on Lake Auburn: a bird mitigation program.

“It is such an asset,” Councilor Brian Carrier said. “To have that sitting out there and unused is ridiculous.”

Councilor Holly Lasagna questioned why the city doesn’t include the issue in its current effort to create a request for proposals to study Lake Auburn.

City Manager Phil Crowell admitted Monday that the beach is a project that “kind of got shelved,” but that staff is hoping the council’s feedback will inform the upcoming budget process.

The discussion Monday also centered on the “Tot Lot” park, off Fish Hatchery Road near Lake Auburn. Edgecomb and the advisory board also forwarded recommendations for improvements there, which would make the park more events-focused.

Edgecomb said one vision is for adding an outdoor pavilion, where residents could rent the space for parties and other events.

Asked which public park she would prioritize first, Edgecomb said Outlet Beach.

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