Columbus community pools in jeopardy of not opening this summer. More delays announced
More delays have been announced for three local Columbus pools that are currently closed to the public, threatening to not open at all until after children go back to school in August.
A presentation given on Tuesday before City Council by Parks & Recreation Director Holli Browder announced further delays in the openings of these parks just a few months after a prior schedule released had at least one pool opening in July.
The most recent presentation listed the following as the final completion dates for the aforementioned pools:
Rigdon Park pool: August 23, 2024.
Shirley Winston pool: Sept. 27, 2024.
Psalmond Road pool: October 29, 2024.
In March, City Manager Isaiah Hugley announced the following opening dates for three local pools:
The Rigdon Park pool would open in July 2024.
The Shirley Winston pool would open in August 2024.
The Psalmond Road pool would open in September 2024.
Officials cited serveral reasons for the new delay, including not obtaining a Health Department permit, plan revisions, and rain delays.
The presentation slide stated that four out of five months of 2024 have had above average rainfall and 45 days of rain delays have been recorded.
Ledger-Enquirer reporting shows that the pool at Shirley Winston park was closed in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Columbus Councilwoman Toyia Tucker is the city councilor for District 4 where the Shirley Winston Pool is located.
In April interview with the Ledger-Enquirer she stated, “The sense of urgency that we have for Golden Park, we should’ve had the same sense of urgency for our pools, for the families, for the youth to be able to have something to do.”
Golden Park is the baseball stadium that is to receive $50 million in upgrades to become the new home to Double-A Braves baseball team in 2025, according to Ledger-Enquirer reporting.
“It’s heartbreaking when you know that it’s just not happening,” said Tucker in the April interview.
