“This has been a very long process that started 13 years ago,” he said. “We are super excited to get to open the gates and let you in.”
The ceremony included thanks to many who made the new pool possible and then saw some pool firsts as part of the festivities.
City Manager Doug Elliott made the first trip in the Lazy River, but he flipped over the innertube and ended up swimming and pushing the raft under the waterfall and around the loop.
Mayor Kate Rousmaniere kept her tradition of recent years of performing a cannonball off the diving board at the pool opening. Wooddell joked she has been doing that for several years and now it should be a requirement of the office.
The first trips down the three slides were also part of the ceremony with several children invited to try out the new play area which includes a huge bucket on top which fills with water until a bell sounds and the water pours down over it.
Finally, members of the Oxford Swimming and Diving Team, along with Coach Steve Pasquale, and Council Member Edna Southard took the first laps in the new competition pool.
The delayed opening of the pool affected the swim team but Pasquale said that gap was filled.
“Thanks to the Oxford Country Club. They really stepped up,” the coach said. “They kept the water hot (on recent cool mornings).”
He said the team has drawn 175 young swimmers this summer, probably due at least in part to the new aquatic center facility and last year’s league championship.
Wooddell thanked Ken Bogard, chair of the recreation commission, for his leadership and support of the project as well as the board which “pushed the project to get the design where we want it to be.” He thanked all those who served on City Council since the project was conceived around 2004 or 2005 for their support.
He praised the work of city staff—Elliott and the Service Department under Mike Dreisbach as well as his own recreation department staff who put in a busy week prior to the opening getting ready.
He also noted the swimming and diving team took part in the design phase and helped get the competition pool area where it needed to be.
He thanked Leah Flynn, the former director of the Oxford Community Foundation, for her help in putting together funding to support some of the amenities which would not have been possible without donor help. He thanked all donors, particularly noting a $25,000 grant from Butler Rural Electric Cooperative for the shelter in the pool area as well was the Goldner estate which donated funds for the yellow, twisting slide into the pool.
Those who came to the aquatic center for the ceremonial opening left after the program while those who paid to get in for the day to use the pool stayed to enjoy it with plenty of summer still ahead for all.
Meanwhile, down Fairfield Road, the old pool was in the process of being demolished with piles of rubble waiting to be carried away.
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