Courtney Congratulates the Town of Vernon on Moving Forward with Project to Replace Horowitz Pool Using American Rescue Plan Funding

NORWICH, CT – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) joined Vernon residents in celebrating the Town Council’s bipartisan decision to replace the Horowitz Pool at Henry Park using $1.25 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, which Courtney helped pass into law. 

“As a Vernon resident and the town’s Representative in Congress, I am extremely pleased to see the town’s decision to replace the Horowitz Pool with the use of federal American Rescue Plan funding. Both of my children learned to swim at the pool, and like so many other parents in Vernon, I was concerned that access to a high quality and high capacity swimming pool might  be curtailed due to the aging infrastructure at Henry Park,” said Rep. Courtney. “The bipartisan vote by the town council this week was the result of impressive due diligence by the staff to incorporate cost effective new technology to keep the Horowitz Pool at Henry Park open for years to come. The presentation by Juliano’s Pools clearly demonstrated a path for the pool to stay open and safe for town residents. Grassroots efforts by community members also played a major role in the successful outcome.” 

“It is important to note that the town’s decision to use this federal funding to replace the Horowitz Pool is perfectly consistent with the American Rescue Plan funding usage guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury which encouraged investment in outdoor recreational infrastructure” Courtney added. “For Vernon children, access to a swimming pool is prerequisite for obtaining a fundamental life skill. The new Horowitz Pool will benefit the health of multiple future generations in Vernon. Congratulations to the Town Council and community members for coming to a fantastic, universally supported result for the town’s future.” 

Rep. Courtney voted to pass the American Rescue Plan in March 2021, and the law has since provided eastern Connecticut towns with federal resources to rebound from the pandemic. The Town of Vernon has received over $8.6 million in direct American Rescue Plan funding. The U.S. Department of Treasury’s guidance to towns on usage of these resources explicitly states that “outdoor recreation” is a supported use of funds. The Town of Vernon projects the construction of the new Horowitz pool will take about 13 months to complete. 

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