Last week, Dormont residents packed council chambers urging the borough council to reject two developers' plans for the borough property near the Dormont pool.

This week, pool supporters are hoping people will pack the St. Patrick's Day dance to be held from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the recreation center near the pool. The dance, sponsored by Friends of Dormont Pool, is being held to raise funds for the pool's repair.

It's one of several planned by the friends group as it cranks up its fund-raising activities, which are aimed at raising the $800,000 to $1 million believed to be needed to renovate the 80-year-old pool.

That figure could change, depending on the outcome of a $25,000 pool feasibility study that will be kicked off on Monday. The study is expected to take several months.

Whatever the total cost of the fix, it appears that money will have to be raised privately for the pool. Council last week reacted to public pressure and voted to tell developers James Aiello Sr., of JRA Development Group of Pittsburgh, and Craig Cozza, of Cozza Enterprises in Squirrel Hill, that the borough wasn't interested in further examination of their proposals.

Both developers had met with a small group of borough officials in recent months and proposed development in Dormont Park. Mr. Aiello offered funds to help repair the existing pool in exchange for permission to lease Dormont Park property for commercial development.

Mr. Cozza's plan called for replacing the pool with two new pools and building several amenities including an amphitheater, community center and soccer field in exchange for building a retail complex at the site of the current pool.

Borough Manager George Zboyovsky and council President Linda Kitchen said they believe the public reaction against the plans came in part out of misunderstanding about the proposals and the belief that council members were trying to act in secret.

They said any suggestion that there was secrecy or impropriety surrounding the talks with the developers was not accurate.

Mr. Zboyovsky said it is not uncommon for developers to make unofficial pitches for projects to a handful of municipal officials. In this case, he said, he, the mayor, council president and chairman of council's finance committee attended the meetings. There were five meetings concerning the two proposed developments.

"One thing we really tried to stress to everyone is that this was still in the early stages," Mr. Zboyovsky said. There was still a lot of research to be done on our part and by the developers. This just got out of hand. People thought it was a done deal."

Mrs. Kitchen said she would like to have heard more about the proposals, particularly the one from Mr. Cozza. "I personally would be interested in looking at recreational facilities in the park. If someone is coming in and talking about soccer fields and basketball courts I am open-minded to looking at those types of amenities and improvements to our parks," Mrs. Kitchen said.

She said since last week's meeting, she has been contacted by residents who are upset because they did not know that a vote would be taken at last week's meeting. She's also heard from people who are asking for a communitywide referendum on whether council should consider developers' plans for the pool and park area.

The first hurdle to overcome would have been to see if council wanted to lease the land. But, the manager said, municipal officials didn't even have time to research the legality of such an arrangement before members of the public started to demand they drop the idea.

The manager said that the majority of the 100 or so people at the public meeting were against the plans. But more people among a similar size group who responded to the borough's Web site survey on the proposals were in favor of listening to the ideas.

One thing that is certain is that the pool will open on time for this season, thanks to $18,000 in temporary repairs. The work was financed last year through fund raising by the Friends of Dormont Pool, a group formed by Dormont resident John Maggio. Those repairs should last three to four years, Mr. Zboyovsky said.

Last year, the borough's engineering firm, Gateway Engineers, recommended that the pool be closed because of fears that the decking between the deep end of the pool and the pool house would collapse, Mr. Zboyovsky said. Chlorine that had leaked from the pipes caused weakness in the deck.

What is unsure is the exact scope and cost of the long-term improvements to the pool and how the borough will fund those repairs.

Borough officials also are hoping consultants can recommend ways to make the pool more attractive.

In the meantime, Mr. Maggio is confident that his group will be able to raise enough money to repair the Dormont pool permanently.

Council's rejection of the developer's plans -- and their funding for pool improvements -- came at approximately the same time that the Friends of the Dormont Pool received its 501c3 status. That means the friends group is an official nonprofit organization and can seek and accept foundation money, Mr. Maggio said.

The group recently sent out grant proposals that were written with the help of former Dormont resident Kathy McCauley, who is a professional grant writer. Mr. Maggio said funds already are starting to accumulate for the pool.

The friends group has $12,000 left from last year's fund raising, and state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, was able to get $135,000 in state funding for pool repairs. Allegheny County allocated an additional $75,000 for road repairs last year that was able to be put in the pool account, Mr. Zboyovsky said. The county grant may be matched by a state grant. The Pittsburgh Foundation also awarded a $2,000 grant for the project.

Other upcoming fund-raisers include a Dormont Pub Tour on April 28 and a Dormont Pool Cook Book.

In addition, the Dormont Pool will be featured on a WQED program called "Underground Pittsburgh" hosted by Rick Sebak at 8 p.m. Monday. The show will look at the complicated infrastructure under the pool.

More information about the St. Patrick's Day dance and other fund raising for the Dormont Pool can be found at www.savedormontpool.com.