LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A public swimming pool that was shut down in the wake of Metro Louisville’s budget crunch will open this summer after all.
The Sun Valley Pool in Valley Station will soon be full of both water and people after Metro Council member Cindi Fowler pumped in the needed funding.
Mayor Greg Fischer shut down Sun Valley and three other public outdoor pools to help close the city's $35 million budget gap, but Fowler is using $40,000 of her discretionary funds to revive Sun Valley. Of that, $25,000 will come from a fund used for infrastructure projects and $15,000 from her neighborhood development fund.
“I just wanted to make sure that my kids had a place to go and enjoy the hot summer days, too,” Fowler said.
Fowler said she was concerned that kids in Valley Station would not benefit from the dozen community swims arranged by Fischer's office at two YMCA pools and at Central High School downtown.
“It's a real challenge to get anywhere on TARC from Valley Station, and a lot of parents probably would have an issue,” Fowler said.
Cindi Fowler, Metro Council District 14
For Fowler, the challenge right now is getting the pool ready and hiring enough lifeguards this late in the season.
“We need seven that are committed,” she said. “The more we get, the better.”
Fowler said she has already hired five lifeguards. Mason Guarino, 16, is one of them. He lives near Sun Valley.
“I'm really excited. From what I've heard, it's really fun place to work,” Guarino said as he wrapped up his lifeguard training.
Fowler hopes the pool will be fun for a lot of her constituents in Valley Station. She said that is the reason she jumped into the deep end of the public pool controversy.
“I just needed to make sure that our kiddos had an opportunity to swim,” she said.
Fowler said there is money in the budget to operate both Sun Valley and Algonquin pools next year. The future of the two other outdoor pools is still uncertain.
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