New City pool to break ground soon
Construction will begin soon on a new municipal swimming pool, thanks to grants from local businesses and charitable organizations, Olney Mayor Rue Rogers said. The City received funds from Tower Extrusions, Air Tractor, and the Perry’s Foundation to build the pool complex, which includes restrooms and a concession stand, as well as the cost of tearing down the old pool. The City and Keep Olney Beautiful estimated the total cost at about $350,000.
Keep Olney Beautiful began fundraising for the new swimming pool shortly after the City of Olney permanently shut down the 70-year-old pool at Tom Griffin Park because of structural problems and a suspected sinkhole beneath it.
KOB had planned to eventually update the pool for Phase III of its update of Griffin Park, which has seen a walking trail and new playground equipment installed in recent years. But those plans were accelerated when the City abruptly closed the pool a few days before it was scheduled to open last June.
“Keep Olney Beautiful has been blessed over and over again by the support from citizens and local businesses,” KOB President Kyle Turner said. “Fundraising has been a relatively simple process for us so far because we are surrounded by such generous community members that want to help brighten Olney up. We approached Air Tractor, Tower Extrusions, and The Perry Foundation to discuss funding support for the project and, without hesitation, they were eager to help. Stacking that on top of the proceeds from our fundraising efforts and the donations from community members, we are very close to our goal. We are also confident in opportunities for grant funding to fill the gap if needed.”
“In regards to the timeline, our vendor is eager to get started,” he said. “We received a satisfactory soil test report at the build site so once we address a possible need to reroute a water line, we can pull the trigger.”
Mr. Turner said the odds of the pool opening this summer “are slim” but KOB and the City are hoping they can host a grand opening event “for a weekend or two in late summer or early fall, given the hot weather we get in September,” he said. But our sights are officially set on Summer 2024 for a fully-functional city pool.”
The City will employ Absolute Pools by Jason of Wichita Falls to build the pool beside the playground equipment and the new pavilion within the park’s circular road, Mayor Rogers said. ‘You put everything from playground to pool to new bathrooms, everything centralized,” he said. “The pavilion is easily accessible, and it’s all right there in one spot. And that kind of ties everything together and then completes the park.”
The existing pool will be filled in with dirt from the new swimming pool site, he said. “Whenever we dig the new hole, you can use that dirt to fill in and bury the old pool and clear that out and eventually just make that green grass and extra space for T-ball, football practice, whatnot, or for kids to go play,” he said.