LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's going to take millions of dollars to transform Louisville's Camp Taylor Pool into a fun-filled place again.
It looks almost apocalyptic at the Camp Taylor Pool due to the graffiti, broken concrete and bent fencing. But the mayor said come, next year it will be filled with laughter again.
Splashing at laughing at Fairdale pool could be heard down Fairdale Road.
What was formerly the Camp Taylor Pool is now riddled with graffiti, broken concrete and trash. We’re expected to get an update from the mayor on what the future holds @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/1MPzfUTMsS
— Christie Battista WDRB (@CBattistaTV) May 29, 2024
"I'm here because I get to swim and I like going in the water and all my friends (are) here and it's summer. I'm trying to enjoy the weather," Fairdale swimmer Gabe Gordon said.
The best part for them is they can walk there with their friends.
“We come here because it’s close to us and we can walk here from our house and it’s cheap and it’s just something fun to do," Aubri Stahl said.
There's a stark contrast about 11 miles northeast at Camp Taylor Memorial Park. The pool closed in 2019 and five years later, the pool that was once filled with laughter is now filled with graffiti, holes in the concrete wall and an old deserted lounge chair.
"While it might not be pretty now, progress is being made," Mayor Craig Greenberg said. "We are on the path to a new pool at Camp Taylor Park."
The city is redirecting $20 million in American Rescue Plan funding for Louisville parks and libraries. The mayor said $9 million of that will go toward renovating the pool at Camp Taylor Park and the Algonquin Pool.
The Algonquin community is facing a similar challenge as the pool is also falling apart and had to close last year.
"We had to do something," Greenberg said. "We had to bring those pools back to life better than ever because of their importance to the communities they serve to our entire city."
Back at Camp Taylor, demolition has already started on the area that will include a family slide, a zero depth entry, a kids play area and a brand new pool house. But there's a hope to give kids in the Camp Taylor and Algonquin neighborhoods the same fun that the kids in Fairdale have.
“If it’s hot outside, you want a pool," one Fairdale swimmer said.
Both pools are expected to be ready for cannonballs by next summer.
Related Stories:
- Crews begin demolition on old pool in Louisville's Camp Taylor neighborhood to build a new one
- Renovations underway at Louisville's Algonquin Park to reopen pool by spring 2025
- First public meeting on Louisville pool improvements focuses on Camp Taylor pool
- Community invited to weigh in on improvements to Louisville pools during series of August meetings
- Families calling on city to build an indoor pool in Algonquin neighborhood
- Algonquin Pool closures leaves Louisville families searching for alternatives
- As Memorial Day weekend approaches, Louisville Metro is set to open just three public pools
- Algonquin Pool closing for repairs, leaving fewer public pools open in Louisville Metro this summer
- With some city pools remaining closed during 2021 season, swimmers ask Louisville to address inequity
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