Mayor Smith and other community figures break ground at the site of the future Lima Community Aquatic Park on Friday.
Jacob Espinosa
LIMA — The city of Lima hit its biggest milestone yet in its quest to bring a public pool back to the community.
A collection of government officials, local swimmers and school administrators officially broke ground at the future site of the Lima Community Aquatic Park on Friday morning outside of Spartan Stadium to officially mark the start of construction that is set to last until next April.
“It has been asked 10,000 times when the city will replace Schoonover Pool,” former public works director Howard Elstro said. “A thousand times, people have asked if it’s really going to happen. Well, ladies and gentlemen and students, today is the day.”
About 100 community members showed up to hear remarks from Elstro, Mayor Sharetta Smith and Lima City Schools Superintendent Jill Ackerman, as well as well-wishes via video from Ohio Sen. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), State Representative Susan Manchester (R-Waynesfield) and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
“Today marks a great day for the city of Lima and the entire community,” Ackerman said. “As we get ready to begin work on this incredible addition to our community, the Lima City School district is proud to be a part of this project that will enhance the lives of the children of Lima and the greater Lima community.”
Following the event, Smith said that the city was excited to reach the milestone and that seeing the support from the community meant a lot.
“We’re grateful to see so many individuals show up and show support for the project,” she said. “From students and families to the elected officials, I think it’s a true testament to what we can do as a community when we work together.”
In her remarks at the podium, though, Smith reminded the community about the reasons for the pool.
“People wonder what the big fuss is about a pool,” she said. “We’re building a pool because the CDC says that drowning is the leading cause of death for children under 5 and for children ages 5 to 14 it is the second leading cause of death after motor vehicle crashes. We’re building a pool because today, 50% of adults don’t know how to swim. The National Institute of Health has shown that participation in formal swimming lessons reduces the risk of drowning by 88%.”
Smith also cited troubling obesity rates in the city and medical professionals’ advice that swimming can help a person manage and lose weight, as well as build strength and control breathing rates.
“We’re building a pool because two years ago, when we crafted the Better Together plan and asked residents to list their priorities, we overwhelmingly heard that their top two were having safe and livable neighborhoods and investing in youth parks and recreation,” she added. “We are responding to that need and what the citizens said they want.”
Ackerman echoed those thoughts afterward and reiterated the school’s intention to push to teach local children how to swim and be safe in the water.
“Our kids have been looking forward to it for a while, but a lot of our kids don’t know how to swim or are afraid of water,” she said. “We have a small swim team and we see the opportunities to expand with more kids. With all this community support, it means a lot.”
Smith called the pool a continuation of the city’s investment into the neighborhoods, as well as an attraction for tourism, and said that the space will change tremendously as construction takes place to transform a vacant lot into a park and aquatic center.
The city said the total cost of construction is fully funded at $11.6 mil. along with $750,000 in a contingency fee.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
