THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE — Since its grand opening, the Danville Aquatic Center at Garfield Park has seen about 4,500 swimmers in over a month’s time.
That’s a rough estimate, says Jessica Lively, community wellness manager with the city of Danville’s Public Works Department.
Daily attendance varies with the weather, holidays, etc., Lively said.
“I can say that Saturdays are our busiest days. This past Saturday we topped out at 180 patrons,” she said.
The pool’s grand opening was on June 15.
Operations have been going well overall.
“It’s been really good. We had some kinks to work out in the beginning, but overall, it’s everything I had hoped it to be. It’s so nice seeing new faces and families every day and equally as rewarding seeing repeat guests every week. We have created the culture we want at the facility and having that creates a safe and fun environment for everyone,” Lively said.
Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said some of the capping of the number of patrons a day is based on how many lifeguards they have each day.
“We just had such overwhelming support. It’s great. Everybody wants to be there, you know, which is a good thing,” Williams said.
A police officer has been at the pool sometimes for safety and community relations, Williams said.
The pool will close for the year on Labor Day, Sept. 2.
The city spent more than half of its American Rescue Plan Act funding, about $13 million, on fixing up what was the Garfield Municipal Pool, originally built in 1969 and shuttered in 2021.
The city was forced to close the pool when chunks of the wall started coming out, causing wall failures; guttering fell into disrepair and pieces of decking started falling apart; in addition, cracks in the floor also developed.
City officials had hoped to open the aquatic center around Memorial Day, but construction and other delays pushed the date back slightly.
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