Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The new McKoy Park Pool Scheduled to Open Memorial Day 2008











The city of Decatur should get 5 STAR award for this.
This is the best decision they could have made, McKOY Park needed a new pool.
I spent my summer days at that pool, and it was a nice pool in the 1960's.
I am glad to see they have incorporated grass back inside the fence.


McKoy Park Pool Scheduled to Open Memorial Day 2008

Decatur staff began meeting with interested citizens two years ago to talk about options for reopening McKoy Pool. The existing pool( click here to see old pool) developed a major water leak that could not be patched and was closed approximately five years ago. During several public input sessions a variety of options were considered and three major areas of interest were identified: 1. the need for a pool that was easily accessible by handicapped swimmers and the elderly; 2. a pool that provided amenities for small children; and 3. opportunity for dedicated lap swim areas. Originally we looked at ways to repair the existing pool. However, with the approval of the Capital Bond Project Referendum, the City Commission allocated additional money to the project and the DeKalb County Community Development Department awarded the City a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant. The South Decatur Community Development Corporation donated $25,000 to help fund improvements to the bathhouse.

As a result, the City of Decatur was able to fund a new pool and bathhouse at McKoy Pool. During the design phase, we considered all of three components requested by area residents. The City of Decatur has two other city-owned pools located within its four square mile so it seemed appropriate to incorporate these design features and provide a slightly different swim experience in order to give city residents three different swim options within the City. Specifically, Ebster Pool meets swim team requirements and serves that community need. Glenlake provides a more traditional multi-purpose swimming experience with a deep water option. McKoy Pool incorporates a zero entry (beach entry) access pool making it easier for elderly and handicapped residents to use, bubbler features to entertain younger swimmers and dedicated lap lanes that can be scheduled for adult-only lap swimming in the mornings and afternoons and provide general swimming for summer campers and older children during the busy hours. The project includes a completely rebuilt bathhouse that will be accessible as well as both hard surface decking and grassed lounging areas.

The City awarded the bid for construction in September and construction began on November 19, 2007. Construction is projected to take six months. We look forward to celebrating the grand opening of this new swimming facility on Memorial Day Weekend 2008.

click here to see construction photos.

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