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The first steps towards the construction of a public aquatic centre in Gadsden are about to be taken.
Mayor Craig Ford, in Tuesday’s pre-council painting session, proposed a swimming pool at the existing Meighan Sports Complex on West Meighan Boulevard, and the City Council will vote Jan. 16 on a planning and design contract with Williams Architects.
The city-owned Meighan Sports Complex already features softball and baseball fields, a combined football field, a tennis center, a rink, a skate park and the Jack Gaston Coliseum.
Ford, in a news release issued after the council meeting, said it has plenty of parking, which can be a challenge for public pools.
He said he decided to pursue an evaluation of potential sites through architects and experts for the city’s GROW Gadsden master plan.
“This is a prime location because of its ease of access to U.S. Highway 431 and local neighborhoods such as the Mill Village and others,” Ford said. “There are several schools, city facilities, the Megan Kelley Dream Center, a police precinct and a paramedic fire station nearby.”
The financing of the aquatic center will come from a bond issue.
Gadsden hasn’t had a public pool since 2019, when it closed the Sixth Street pool in the Colley Homes network, much to the dismay of citizens in the network who have consistently called on the city to bring it back. City officials said it was in poor condition and they charged about $1 million to reopen.
Sixth Street Pool, one of 4 public pools that opened in Gadsden in 1950, along with the main municipal pool on South First Street near the former site of the Municipal Auditorium/Convention Hall and pools at East Gadsden and Kyle Avenue in the Alabama city.
However, according to a 2011 retrospective by the Times belated correspondent and local historian Mike Goodson, the municipal swimming pool closed before the 1964 season because it needed primary maintenance and because of potential right-of-way conflicts with the adjacent U. S. Highway 411. The Alabama City and East Gadsden pools closed in the 1970s.
“It is vital that our citizens of all ages have access to an affordable swimming pool to be informed and improve their swimming skills,” Ford said. “As a city situated along the beautiful Coosa River and with Black Creek flowing over Noccaluma Falls, water recreation is in our blood; It makes sense to create an aquatic center for our community.
The mayor also sees it as a potential economic boon for the Alabama City and West Gadsden communities, spurring other commercial development. He said it’s “only the beginning of what will become strategic revitalization of that corridor over the next several years.”
Williams Architects will be tasked with designing a master plan for the center. Public input will be sought, and the plan will cover design, organization, staffing, etc.
The pool’s specific main points will remain in place until launch, but city officials say it will most likely have a 0 ramp for easy access, swim lanes and at least one waterslide.
“As I’ve said before about other investments the city has made in recent years, this will be another wonderful position for families to create lasting memories together,” Ford said. “I’m excited about what the long term holds for Gadsden “I look to the future to see families, seniors, academics and visitors enjoy our aquatic center as soon as possible. “
This article originally appeared in The Tuscaloosa News: Gadsden takes first steps toward building new pool.
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