Grinding drills and pounding hammers echoed from the bathhouse of the St. Pete Beach Community Center’s new swimming pool complex. The pool itself sat quiet, pristine and crystal blue. Lane guides for lap swimmers ran the length of the 50-meter pool. On the surface, the wind made tiny ripples. A red mushroom waterfall tower stood proudly in a corner, with an opaque sheet of water flowing from its top.
For two weeks, a public swimming facility along Boca Ciega Bay has been waiting for people.
Finally, residents say. After four years of waiting, count them in for the July 6 ribbon cutting.
For years, residents like Gary Renfrow have endured miles of driving and nonresident charges to swim at St. Petersburg city pools. The St. Pete Beach facility is the first of its kind along area beaches, Renfrow said. It’s part of an $8 million community center that includes a theater, ballroom, gym and fitness center. The pool is the crowning jewel.
“This finally brings St. Pete Beach into the 21st Century,” he said. “We needed a safe place for people to swim, and this is it.”
Now, competitive swimmers can train, residents with worn-out joints can take water aerobics and children can learn to swim in water where they can see the bottom.
Plans for the pool were drawn up four years ago with a proposal to build a community center at 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, said St. Pete Beach Leisure Services director Mike Whelan. The project met staunch opposition from residents. Opponents said the beach was sufficient and the cost of a new facility was too high. They delayed construction for four years. Eventually the City Commission approved a massive capital project that included new construction and beautification of the area.
The pool ate up $1.2 million of the tab. The city’s general fund paid for a large share of that bill. The remainder came from capital improvement funds. Whelan said he hopes revenue from the center will meet the yearly $700,000 operating cost of the facility “dollar for dollar in a few years.” Over two decades, the place will pay for itself, he said.
Residents of St. Pete Beach who are 17 and younger can swim for $2, and nonresidents will pay twice that. Adult residents pay $4 for admission and nonresidents pay $6. For $60, residents can purchase an annual admission card. Prices do not include sales tax.
The pool is wheelchair-accessible, with a lift, Whelen said.
Along with the mushroom waterfall, water arching fountains and dumping buckets, plans are in the works to build a splash area for toddlers directly in front of a parking lot, so parents can watch from an air conditioned car, he said. Construction on that phase should begin in early 2008. The pool is heated and will be open year-round. When school is in session, the hours will be scaled back. Easing the pool’s construction costs on the purse strings of the city was a $400,000 donation from Beth Moreans, a local resident, philanthropist and mother of two.
Renfrow, a veteran amateur triathlete and competitive swimmer, said his company, Alden Beach Resort, donated $5,000 toward the pool construction. He regularly makes the 25-minute drive to the North Shore Pool in St. Petersburg because that’s the only facility where he can comfortably train.
The facility will also be cheaper than its competitors, Renfrow said. North Shore charges lap swimmers $20 a month. The yearly membership to the YMCA in downtown St. Petersburg is $600.
He added that the facility would provide a place for the community to come together.
Lori Mcauliffe’s four kids, ages 7 to 12, already enjoy the backyard pool at their Vina del Mar home, but the mix of schools they attend has made socializing with neighborhood friends harder.
“We want them to have a place to meet and hang out and we’d rather have that here,” Mcauliffe said. She added her family is interested in the city’s new swim team.
Lori Sigmund’s Vina del Mar home doesn’t have a pool, which means driving her son about 25 minutes to St. Petersburg’s Fossil Park facility. She dismissed the idea that the community’s 4 miles of beaches sufficed.
“How long will kids last on the beach? An hour. You need the shade a pool can provide,” Sigmund said. “Besides, it’s not easy moving them around.”
Tampa resident Clarissa Lima relaxed on Upham Beach with her four young children, within walking distance to their beachfront condominium, which has a pool. She agreed that transporting kids was a problem, making the pool at home a better option. However, she’s keeping the center in mind as a meeting place.
Wendy Johnson was another supporter for the pool. The St. Pete Beach resident and race promoter leaves her home at 5 a.m. most mornings to meet with her swim league in St. Petersburg. She knows of several other St. Pete Beach residents who train there. However, breaking training cycles will be hard, she said.
Treasure Island recreation director Cathy Hayduke has not yet toured the St. Pete Beach facility, but she’s already redirecting her summer camps there. Starting mid July, campers ages 7 to 12 years old will swim in St. Pete Beach instead of North Shore Pool. Children ages 4 to 6 will still be bused a half-hour north to Largo.
As of two weeks ago, two birthday parties were already planned for the new pool, with another in the works, according to Suzanne Greenfield, city aquatics coordinator. Residents should have received recreation center schedule of classes in the mail. They will begin July 16.
