Oakwood Park pool reopens with a splash

LORAIN — David Salva was the first to make a splash at the Oakwood Park pool on Saturday. Never mind that he didn't bring a towel or change of clothes. Salva cannonballed into the deep end of the pool, determined to be the first one in after a three-year project many questioned would ever come to fruition. City officials held a grand opening Saturday with the pool open this holiday weekend before closing ahead of its full season kickoff June 9 once local schools are out. The $1 million renovation included $500,000 from the city's general fund and $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant-COVID funds to rehab the pool, bathhouse and concession stand, and build a small splash pad for younger children. Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion was emotional while standing beside Mayor Jack Bradley to finally unveil a project he was unsure he would ever see. Carrion, previously a councilman for the city's Sixth Ward, pushed for the pool as one of his first priorities in elected office. Bradley remembered when Carrion first met with him and all but demanded reopening the south side attraction. But the option to rehab the facility almost never happened. It has been about a decade since Lorain has had a municipal pool, with crews tearing out facilities at Central and Longfellow years ago, Public Properties Manager Lori Garcia said. It was only because the machinery broke and the city did not immediately replace it that the Oakwood Park pool remained standing, but vacant, all those years. The project has been on life support several times, Carrion said, including when city officials gathered in April 2023 to announce the swimming pool would not be happening due to problems with the city's contractor. Garcia, Bradley and Carrion held a press conference announcing the intention to ax the pool project and instead opt for a splash pad. But days later, the pool project was back on under a new contractor. "That pool was dead four times. It was on life support seven times," Carrion said. "It was four years of CPR and four years of going to the morgue and coming back and finding out that pool's got a (life), and it's got a pulse." If it was not for the community, Carrion said, Oakwood would have lost its facilities. But residents stepped up, showing up to community cleanups and raising money to cover pool passes for children. One of those residents was Salva, who alongside Andrea Velez, spent weekends collecting donations. "We were the ones helping get this back open," Salva said, remembering the summers he spent at the pool as a child. "... I had to be a part of it opening up." Salva's cousin, David Arocho, of Columbus, also remembered his summers at the Oakwood Park pool — and as such donated $20,000 to match funds raised by civic group the Friends of South Lorain, Carrion said. Arocho was not in attendance Saturday, but Carrion said Arocho grew up on East 30th Street and "used to live in this pool," Carrion said. From Columbus to Puerto Rico, donations poured in, Carrion said, a testament to the idea that "Lorain is always home." "You're from Lorain, you're from this community, and we all want something good not only for ourselves but for our children," Carrion said. "… If we come together, this is a symbol that not only can we save this pool, we can save so many different parts of our community if we put our mind to it, roll up our sleeves, put our differences aside and step forward to make things happen." The city also partnered with the Lorain Public Library System to host a Little Library at Oakwood where children can take a break from swimming to read a book. The pool is staffed by the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, costing $85,000 — $70,000 paid by the city and $15,000 paid by the Friends of South Lorain. During its regular season, June 9 through at least Aug. 11, it will be open 1 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. At least 140 free pool passes for low-income families and individuals will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with 60 family passes and 80 individual passes available for those at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Regularly priced season family passes are $200 for four members, with each additional member $30. Individual season passes are $60 and day passes are $4. Passes are available at the city's Parks and Recreation office, 2132 West Park Drive, or at cityoflorain.org/198/Public-Property. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.