By Andy McDonald
Contractors are putting the finishing touches on the $2.3 million renovation of the Berea City Pool, according to Berea Parks and Recreation Director Priscilla Bloom.
Bloom briefed city officials about the project last week during a meeting of the Berea City Council Parks and Recreation Committee. “We are seeing the finish line,” Bloom told committee members John Payne, Katie Startzman, Steve Davis and Ronnie Terrill. “We’ll have the concrete finished in the next two weeks.”
The pool has been filled with water, and no leaks have been detected in the lining, Bloom reported. Water leaks had long been an issue at the 32-year-old facility in recent years. Bloom did report that repairs were underway for one gutter and one pump line, and that state officials will likely inspect the facility this fall. It will again be inspected by county health officials before it officially opens next spring, Bloom stated.
Though citizens expressed disappointment about the temporary closure of the pool last season, officials say the overdue renovations were needed for public safety reasons. The concrete floor has been replaced with a softer PVC material, and the two pool slides have been upgraded. Additionally, there are now duel, thirteen-foot-high slides, replacing the two aging slides, which were 10-feet-tall and seven-feet-tall, respectively. Most importantly, say officials, the concrete deck, which had been crumbling, is now smoother and safer.
The new facility will also feature two new diving boards.
Bloom has previously stated that other upgrades are in the works for future budgets, including more shade at the pool.
On a related note, Bloom reported during the meeting that engineers have run into a snag when it comes to installing shade structures over grandstands at the ball fields. Engineers have noted that due to the discovery of pyritic shale, that project has been delayed. Pyritic shale is water permeable, and thus less stable to serve as a foundation for the shade structures, city officials have been told.
The shade structures are funded through a $50,000 grant T-Mobile awarded to the city in 2024. Berea was one of 25 recipients of the company’s community project grants across the nation, securing the funds with the assistance of the Bluegrass Area Development District.
