Greensburg prepares for grand reopening of renovated Veterans' Memorial Pool

The end of school has long meant the start of pool season in Greensburg.

That tradition returns Thursday at Veterans’ Memorial Pool following a one-year hiatus at the popular Lynch Field mainstay.

Thursday is the last day of school for Greensburg Salem School District, and it is city tradition to open the pool when school gets out, said pool manager Trudy Ivory.

“The kids all walk down here to Lynch Field and wait outside the gate to get in,” she said.

It’s a new beginning for the pool, in more ways than one. It was closed last summer as the city prepared for a major renovation project that transformed the 58-year-old pool.

There are new features like a splash pad, zip-line and three-chute water slide. The bath house has been renovated, and the cashier’s booth has been replaced.

A new ramp makes the hillside pool accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.

A new liner and new mechanical equipment are expected to keep the pool running for years to come.

“It’s an attraction now,” Ivory said. “I think it’s someplace that families are going to love and younger kids are going to love.”

The pool is opening on time, despite some difficulties, Ivory said.

The city has spent $986,735 on the project, city administrator Kelsye Milliron said. The original budget was $850,000.

The city paid for the work with a $1.2 million bond issued in 2017.

It took longer than expected for the city to find contractors to do the work. Frequent construction-season rain added more delays, Ivory said.

However, workers overcame the hurdles to make sure the pool would be ready for the season, Ivory said.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s a feeling of accomplishment,” she said.

This is the first year since 2013 that the city will manage the pool directly.

From 2014 to 2017, the city paid the Greensburg YMCA to run the pool. The city chose not to renew the contract after the 2016 season, as preliminary plans for the renovation project were getting under way.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, city officials, Greensburg Salem students and contractors will hold a grand reopening ceremony.