$9 million in state aid will help Chesapeake build its first public pool
The city is finally making good on a decades-long plea to construct its first public swimming pool.
Last week, the Chesapeake City Council approved a $9 million appropriation from the state for the project, which is part of the city’s capital improvement plan.
The city is still in the early phases for the project. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Mike Barber said he hopes an architect will be selected by the end of the year.
He envisions an indoor pool measuring roughly 25 yards by 25 meters, which is standard recreational pool size, at the Clarence V. Cuffee Center near the Norfolk city line. However, the plan may also include additional amenities such as showers, locker rooms and a water playground that could alter the pool’s size.
Other first steps in the process include in-depth studies of the land and facility to determine how the pool will best fit into the existing community center, which also features a gym, game and meeting rooms, outdoor basketball courts and playground equipment.
Barber said the pool will be able to provide swimming lessons in addition to water activities for youth and seniors, which could involve rehabilitation and therapeutic exercises.
The city plans to allow public input opportunities during the design and planning phase.
While the city anticipates another $3 million in federal dollars for the project, the total cost is projected between $15 million to $20 million, meaning the city could be on the hook to pay the rest.
Mayor Rick West and Barber said the city’s lack of a public swimming facility has been a “sticky issue” over the past few decades. Barber said a pool was discussed in the 1990s but it never materialized. The $9 million in state funding, however, will “get us going,” he added.
“We’ll make it happen,” West said.
West and Barber said the pool is expected to increase the quality of life and provide new opportunities, particularly within the Campostella neighborhood — where the Cuffee Center is located. West sees it as a redevelopment tool with the potential to attract new organizations and build new partnerships.
“It sends a message that you’re not left out,” West said. “To me, it’s more than just a swimming pool.”
The pool also will anchor what Barber describes as a growing aquatics program in the city, referencing an outdoor splash park at the Western Branch Community Center that opened last summer and another one being planned for the South Norfolk Community Center within the next two years.
Natalie Anderson, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com, 757-732-1133
