Public Pool Set to Open at Danbury Community Center

Danbury's only public pool is all set and ready to open following some big renovations that were recently completed.

According to the Connecticut Institute for Communities (CIFC), the newly repaired pool will be open for operations beginning this Saturday, December 28, at the Danbury Community Center located at 12 Boughton St. downtown -- the old Danbury branch of the YMCA.

The pool's renovations came to the city as the result of a years-long project that, when all is said and done, will be a complete overhaul of the former YMCA's facilities. The pool receieved many structural and safety enhancements like new drains, pumps, skimmers, and an air-handling system. A large crack in the bottom was fixed as well.

As many city residents will recall, the CIFC bought the building back in 2015 once the YMCA announced that the Danbury branch would close. Aside from the new version of the pool, the building's restorations, which have been primarily funded by a grant from the State, will include an upgrade to the gymnasium, the performance stage will be fixed up, and meeting rooms and activity spaces will be generally refurbished. The swimming pool also received grant support from the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation.

At first, the pool will only be open on Saturdays, but hours will reportedly be expanded as resources allow and the pool becomes more popular. The CIFC says they'll be offering swim safety lessons, senior swims, adult lap swims, and, of course, family swims, for a membership fee of $1 per month, per person between now and March 31, 2020.

In a press release James H. Maloney, the CEO and President of the Connecticut Institute for Communities, said, “Having a pool in downtown Danbury fills a critical need. It is the only pool in the city to serve the general public and also to offer swimming/water-safety lessons to our local young people.”

Backing up that statement, the CIFC's Aquatics Coordinator, Rodrigo Martins, said “This will give the community the opportunity to have what they were deprived of for many years. A functioning pool open to the public in Danbury gives our young people and families the opportunity to enjoy the water and to learn valuable, potentially-lifesaving skills.”

Grabs those floaties and start kickin', kids!