In May, structural repairs began in the Millsop Community Center pool facility, which has led to temporary closure.
A post on the Millsop Community Center’s Facebook page described that on May 1, the repairs to the south wall of the pool room began. This marked the final phase of a 3-year project and resulted in the temporary closure of the pool. The whole project has cost over 2 million dollars, with the current third and final phase costing 1.72 million dollars. It is important to note that the repairs are not to the pool itself.
I reached out to Coty Shingle, executive director of the board of Parks and Recreation for more information but was unable to get feedback.
Swim team coach, Jason Bennett, reported what information he knew about the repairs. Bennett stated, “These repairs are essential for the safety of those swimming at the Millsop Center.” Bennett also described how two by fours on the interior and metal on the exterior supported the south wall before the renovations. “They ripped it down and are replacing the ceiling as well as the windows.” As of now, the pool is expected to reopen in early November.
Bennett also talked about what effects the repairs are having on our swim team. “We have worked out an agreement with Big Red High School to practice Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:00 and then we do dry land at Weir High 2:30-4:00 through the end of October.” The Millsop Community Center is where the team normally practices. Due to this, the repairs have caused the team to lose one day of in-water conditioning every week.
The before mentioned Facebook post also stated, “In the event that this work negatively impacts WMCC membership holders whose only use of the facility is the swimming pool, memberships will be extended for the period of time the pool is closed.” Frequent pool users were also encouraged to call the Millsop Community Center and check the pool’s availability.
