Open swim at the Oxford Community Pool has come to an end for this season.
Historically, the pool closes after Labor Day weekend; however, a shortage of lifeguards will keep the pool closed this weekend, according to Oxford Park Commission Director of Communications John Davis.
The pool closed during the week for open swim when local schools started back up in the first week of August but remained open for public, open swim on the weekend.
“The pool will be closed after water aerobics on Friday morning,” he said.
The OPC relies on college and high school students as lifeguards; however, with schools back in session, no lifeguards are available on Labor Day weekend.
“It’s the only time this season we had to close the pool due to not having lifeguards,” Davis said.
The pool will be open for lap swimming at 11 a.m. On Wednesday and Friday and water aerobics from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and Friday.
“And then it’s a wrap for our season,” Davis said.
The Oxford High School swim team and the Shockwave competition team will continue to use the pool through October.
Earlier this month, Mayor Robyn Tannehill said the city has budgeted funds to begin the design process of a new city pool. She said that the city will hold community meetings in the coming months to get feedback on what residents would want to see in a new city pool.
“Once the design is done and we have an estimate, we will determine how to fund the entire project,” she said Tuesday.
Funding will likely be a general obligation bond or another city funding source.
The current pool is about 41 years old and each year, money is spent to repair cracks and other time-related damage to the pool. In 2019. the Board of Aldermen had discussed building a new pool in Stone Park, which is across from where the pool is currently off Washington Avenue.
“We have spoken about several different locations but the baseball field at Stone Park is the most likely location,” Tannehill said.
