WATERBURY, Conn. — Saturday afternoon will mark a milestone for Waterbury neighbors, who will witness the unveiling of a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility and pool at Hamilton Park. It’ll be the only city pool open to the public this summer, and it’s something the community has been dreaming about for years.
“It’s been a long time coming but we’re very excited to have it,” said John Kollar, Supervisor of Parks in Waterbury.
Kollar said the plans for the pool have been three years in the making, after Kollar and his team spoke to former Mayor Neil O'Leary about how each of the city’s three pools were in disrepair.
“There was a lot of late nights putting them back together and doing the repairs so they would be open the next day. So that’s something, we never want to disappoint anybody and have it closed,” Kollar said.
About a year and a half ago, construction began at Hamilton Park pool, with the pools at Fulton and Washington Parks following shortly thereafter. The remaining two will be closed for the summer, as the construction work continues. But Saturday, Hamilton Park Pool opens to the public for the first time in a long time.
This all follows a nearly $9 million renovation, where the building was rebuilt from the ground up, adding new bathrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, and more.
The pool itself, Kollar said, has a surface area of about 6,800 square feet.
“Goes down to 2-and-a-half-foot depth and then down to a five foot maximum for a great cooling center and be able to enjoy yourself,” Kollar said. “The building itself was built to match the surface area of the pool, this way we can accommodate as many people as possible.”
Ahead of the unveiling Saturday, Waterbury residents like David Berry have been stopping by to check it out.
“The park is beautiful and so is the pool, so I’m looking forward to it,” Berry said.
Berry reflected on what the pool used to look like, when he used to visit the park as a kid.
“Well, it was nothing like this. I mean it feels like you’re at a resort,” Berry said.
A well-deserved upgrade for him and his neighbors, who have been anxiously awaiting the completion of this project.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t have a pool at home to be able to enjoy. so to be able to come here, free of charge and cool down and be able to enjoy themselves,” Kollar said. “This is a great spot for them to be able to do that.”
“We’re just very, very proud and excited about this to be able to unveil this,” Kollar said.
After 1 p.m. Saturday, the Hamilton Park Pool will be free and open to Waterbury residents. However, you must make an online reservation for a timeslot ahead of time.
To register, click here:
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