Albany, Boys & Girls Clubs partner to remake ‘The Pool at Jefferson Street’
Total renovation costs to exceed $950,000 for North Jefferson Street pool
File Photo
By Jennifer Parks
jennifer.parks@
albanyherald.com
ALBANY — What was more than a half-century in the making became a reality on Wednesday, as did some much-needed relief from the heat for Albany youngsters.
The ribbon was cut on Wednesday for the first phase of renovations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany pool at its unit on North Jefferson Street. The pool originally served as the Tift Park Pool when it was constructed in 1953 as a part of the adjacent historic park. At the time, it was the only Olympic-sized pool in southwest Georgia.
The early stages of the first major renovation to the pool were funded with $650,000 allocated as part of the SPLOST VII referendum. For the past 50 years, the city of Albany has provided funding to the club to assist with operational costs.
During the swim season, officials said, the pool sees upwards of 5,000 visitors.
“Yes, I love it when a plan comes together,” Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard said at the ribbon-cutting. “Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?”
In the first phase of renovations, efforts were made to keep the pool’s original look. There are a total of four phases planned, which will later include the addition of a concession stand as well as improvements to the locker room, courtyard and the club facility itself.
Total renovation costs will exceed $950,000 with the remaining funds to come from the club and in-kind donations. A capital campaign is underway to fund the later phases.
Boys & Girls Clubs CEO Marvin Laster said he learned to swim in the pool, and as he was overseeing the renovations, he said he learned some things about the structure he did not know before.
He spoke highly on Wednesday of the partnership that brought the pool to its former glory, which is expected to position it well for the future as a possible site for regional swim meets.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s unveiling, Laster said there was a high level of community interest shown in the renovation’s progress.
“To see it in its present condition brings back a lot of memories,” he said. “This pool was the center of excitement for a lot of people. I am blessed to be a part of this organization.”
Tift Park, inclusive of its pool, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. It was deemed historically significant because of its importance to the city’s recreational history, with areas of importance to Albany’s civil rights movement.
In 1965, Jefferson Street Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany was built adjacent to the pool. In 1973, the city of Albany deeded the pool to the club to provide water safety instructions and swimming opportunities to the public.
The pool conducts swimming lessons in the mornings, and allows the general public to swim later in the day for 50 cents apiece.
An endowment established in partnership with former President Jimmy Carter is going to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs facilities throughout southwest Georgia, including Albany.
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