AMHERST — An ongoing feasibility study is examining how the area around the War Memorial Pool, a 2-acre site in downtown Amherst close to Amherst Regional High School, can be revitalized into a popular destination for families.

While the pool was renovated and reopened in 2012, and plans are in progress to reconstruct the 1950s-era bathhouse, the public is being asked to offer thoughts about other amenities they would like to see at the site which town officials call an anchor of Community Field, the larger area that includes the softball and baseball diamonds and football gridiron located between Triangle and Mattoon streets.

“Now is the critical time in the design to get input and to make sure we’re going in the right direction,” says Amy Rusiecki, the assistant superintendent for the Department of Public Works.

On Monday at 7 p.m., a Zoom listening session is being held for “Revitalization of Enhanced War Memorial Area Project.” The public, which will be shown a current schematic design for the site, can participate by going to https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/87305388381.

Rusiecki said the hope is to get ideas from the public about what they would like to see, observing that there was a wading pool removed several years ago, with some suggestions that the location would be ideal for a splash pad, similar to one at Groff Park in South Amherst.

The site also currently has dilapidated basketball courts and a handful of play structures and swingsets, as well as the war memorial and flag pole. Rusiecki said this will be preserved while ensuring that something is on site that is fitting for honoring those who have died in service to the country.

The schematic designs developed are also incorporating the berm that separates the site from the playing fields, with one design showing an amphitheater that takes advantage of the hill.

Construction of the new pool house is expected to be completed in 2025 or 2026, with the other elements to be added at a later date.

In 2019, the town completed the Athletic Facilities Strategic Plan that made suggestions for how to fully activate the underutilized space. The latest work is building off of that.

An application for Community Preservation Act money shows that the renovation could cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, based on how much the town is spending to improve the North Common in front of Town Hall and its investment in Kendrick Park, the downtown site that features a playground and could soon have a Portland Loo single-occupancy bathroom. The town will apply for a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant from the state for up to $500,000 and a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for up to $1 million.

Scott Merzbach can be reached @smerzbach@gazettenet.com.