Here’s how much money the city budgeted for three Columbus pools and how much was spent
The public pools at Rigdon Park, Shirley Winston Park, and Psalmond Road have been closed for repairs for multiple summers, leaving Columbus swimmers with fewer options for frolicking in the water.
How much is this project costing the city? An open records request submitted by the Ledger-Enquirer shows the Columbus Consolidated Government has spent more than $9 million on the three pools, with a total budgeted amount of $15 million for the three pools.
Councilor Gary Allen of District 6, where the Psalmond Road pool is located, previously offered more context on the delays and why the pool was closed in the first place. The Psalmond Road pool hasn’t been open since 2018.
“ ... The pools are funded by SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) revenue, and our pay-as-you-go process slowed the construction to avoid interest fees,” he said. “It would have been good for all involved to meet early to avoid delays.”
The city has spent the following amount of money on the pools at Rigdon Park, Shirley Winston park, and Psalmond Road:
- Pool/Splash Pad at Shirley Winston Park: $2,937,526.45
- Pool/Splash Pad at Psalmond Road Park: $3,402,581.95
- Pool/Splash Pad at Rigdon Park: $2,803,797.37
The city has budgeted to spend up to the following amounts in addition to previous expenses on each pool:
- Pool/Splash Pad at Shirley Winston Park: $2,062,473.43
- Pool/Splash Pad at Psalmond Road Park: $1,597,398.05
- Pool/Splash Pad at Rigdon Park: $2,196,202.63
Each pool has a budget of $5 million.
Councilor Toyia Tucker of District 4, where Shirley Winston Park is located, lamented the lack of urgency to replace the pools before the summer ended in an April interview. She cited the urgency for another large project in Columbus.
“The sense of urgency that we have for Golden Park, we should’ve had the same sense of urgency for our pools, for the families, for the youth to be able to have something to do.”
Golden Park is the city’s baseball stadium, renamed Synovus Park as part of a $50 million renovation to become the new home for the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A minor league baseball team, starting in 2025.
The pool at Shirley Winston Park was supposed to open in August, but a delay announced in June has pushed the opening to September.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 9:28 AM.