Some new facilities open with ribbon cuttings. The renovated Algonquin Pool opened with a group cannonball.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, District 1 Metro Council Member Tammy Hawkins, other Metro Council members and students from Grace M. James Academy took the leap Thursday to celebrate the moment.
Temperatures in the pool hovered around 55 degrees, but that didn’t stop Greenberg and Hawkins from taking the plunge.
“This looks like a water park,” Hawkins said. “This ain't the average pool.”
The $7 million project includes a vortex pool, a climbing wall and two water slides. It's a stark difference from the original Algonquin Pool built in the 1960s, which was demolished last year.
Tearfully, Hawkins said she had been negotiating with city leaders for a long time to get the pool reopened and she was happy to see the fruits of her labor with the community’s help.
“Today is the example of what being passionate and persistent looks like,” she said. “We’re finally here. But today is the definition of what listening to the community looks like.”
The original pool closed in 2022, and it was the only public pool in the West End at the time. Uncertainty loomed over the pool’s future until last year when city officials announced plans for a total makeover.
Shane Crow was a lifeguard at the pool before it closed.
“For years, the Algonquin Pool has been more than just a place to cool off,” Crow said. “It has been a second home, a cornerstone of community connection, youth engagement and summertime joy. Its reopening brings more than more than just water to the neighborhood. It restores a vital space where families can play and gather.”
The Algonquin Pool at 1614 Cypress Street opens to the public on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. It will open every day but Tuesdays for those hours until the pool season ends August 2.
Hawkins will host a community celebration at the pool Saturday with food trucks and family activities. The first 600 guests will enter for free.
The city used federal funding from the American Rescue Plan to renovate the Algonquin Pool and improve other infrastructure.
