(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The City of Lawrenceburg may give some relief to Greendale as the neighboring city prepares to build a new public swimming pool.

Greendale Mayor Doug Hedrick went to Lawrenceburg City Council on Monday to ask forgiveness on $1.19 million remaining on a loan from the City of Lawrenceburg. The original $1.7 million loan was used to renovate Greedale’s police station on Ludlow Street in 2007.

Greendale’s current pool, built six decades ago, will close permanently at the end of this summer. The city is planning to build a new $2.4 million pool - hopefully open by summer 2013 - and not having the additional debt would help.

“It would be so much easier to build a new pool without this loan hanging over our head,” Hendrick told Lawrenceburg City Council, adding that Greendale will build the new pool with our without the 2007 loan being forgiven.

Council member Jan Pope wondered what affect a new Greendale pool would have on attendance at the Pat O’Neill Memorial Pool in Lawrenceburg. Fellow councilman Aaron Cook questioned the cost of Greendale’s pool plans and a previous grant given to Greendale used by the city attorney and Mayor Hedrick.

Councilmen Dough Taylor suggested Lawrenceburg do the neighborly thing.

“We are just one big community, and if we can’t help our communities, who can we help?” Taylor asked.

Following the discussion, Lawrenceburg Council voted 3-2 to give a favorable recommendation to the Lawrenceburg Loan Committee for forgiving the loan to Greendale. Councilmen Aaron Cook and Bill Bruner were the dissenting votes.

The loan committee will make the final decision on the loan forgiveness.