Construction of the Towson Swim Club complex could begin by Sept. 30, according to organizers of the new, private club.

“We hope to break ground by the end of September, and we’re still planning on opening by Memorial Day weekend of 2011,” said Michael Linkinhoker.

The Southland Hills resident spoke last week on behalf of 17-member board of the Towson Swim Club corporation, formed by West Towson and Southland Hills neighbors who have worked for three years to bring a member-owned pool to the community.

The group has submitted its design for the pool, which will be located on the northwest corner of Bosley Avenue and Towsontown Boulevard on property leased from Baltimore County. The plans are under review by the county’s Design Review Panel.

Club representatives are scheduled to meet with the panel Wednesday, July 14, at 6 p.m. in Room 104 of the Jefferson Building, 105 W. Chesapeake Ave., Towson.

The club’s website includes the details of the plan: a regulation-size pool with a diving well, a baby pool, a clubhouse with changing rooms, a vending area and manager’s office, picnic and recreation space, a playground, a sport court and an abundance of tables, lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool deck. For more details, go to the site or e-mail info@towsonswimclub.com.
 
But the board says the design of the complex may evolve. Input from neighbors, buffering concerns and budget considerations have already resulted in changes from initial concepts, Linkinhoker said.

The club property is adjacent to the office center that’s being redeveloped in the old county jail building, also on the corner of Bosley Avenue and Towsontown Boulevard. Though side-by-side, the two properties are separate.

Membership in the club will not be restricted to the two neighborhoods. It’s open to anyone who can pay the dues and fees that will be necessary to build the pool complex, which could cost as much as $1.4 million.

The application fee is $250, and an initiation fee is $275. A membership certificate, showing partial ownership of the club, is $1,975. Annual dues will depend on various factors, including size of household, and be comparable to dues paid at the Stoneleigh and Wiltondale pools, Linkinhoker said.

The club needs 375 family or individual memberships to be viable, but is seeking no more than 400. The board currently has slightly more than 200 members who have anteed up the money.

The club is now looking for financing from a bank so it can go ahead with a groundbreaking, Linkinhoker said. He said the club has had some preliminary talks with banks, but has not determined what lenders will need to see in terms of memberships — nor what the committee will need to borrow.

The board believes turning a shovel at the property will convince some potential members to jump feet first into a pool membership.

“We feel pretty confident from going door-to-door and talking to people that some are reluctant to sign up because the pool hasn’t been built. They don’t want to sign up for something that’s not there yet,” Linkinhoker said.

“Obviously it’s a risk, but we’re moving forward on the basis of money from the current members and expressions of interest from prospective members.

“Once the groundbreaking takes place and the shovels start moving the dirt, the incentive will be there,” he said.

There may be further incentives to purchasing a membership certificate prior to construction, said John Glikin, an attorney on the board.

First, a family could end up on a waiting list once the pool opens. Both the Stoneleigh and Wiltondale pools have waiting lists.

Secondly, Glikin said, is that while a post-construction membership can only be sold back to the club, a pre-construction certificate can be included, say, in the sale of a house. Being able to sell a house with its own pool membership could be great amenity to dangle in front of a prospective buyer.

Glikin said the board members feel the pool complex will add to the long-term value of their neighborhoods — and create a place where neighbors can congregate and socialize.

“I believe we’re so close to making it happen,” he said

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