City pool closes for season after successful launch

Olney’s new city pool closed for the season on Aug. 25 after a successful, if shortened, first season, City Administrator Tammy Hourigan said.

The pool opened on July 9, after weather-related delays canceled a planned Memorial Day weekend opening.

The new pool replaced the city’s 1950s-era pool, which developed structural cracks and a suspected sinkhole in June of 2022, and was shut down for good.

The new pool, which features a diving board, a twisty slide, a covered seating area and a hoist, was funded by private donations. Keep Olney Beautiful helped the City with fundraising and coordinated the construction.

Aside from “minor, minor hiccups,” the season was successful for the new lifeguards and pool manager, all of whom said they planned to work at the pool next season, Ms. Hourigan said.

The pool was so popular on opening day that the pool manager had to lock the gate and wait until people left to make room for more swimmers, she said. “There’s been a good turnout all summer, and then lots of parties from 6 to 8 [p.m.]” The pool saw private parties almost every night during its last week, she said. “I was hoping that we could keep it open maybe through September because it’s so hot but all of our lifeguards are athletes and they started [practice] … so we don’t have them, and the two managers work at the school,” she said. “I thought maybe we could do it since we got delayed but we can’t make it work.”