Group of Frankfort leaders agree to move forward with plan to build public pool
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- Frankfort leaders agreed to continue working on a plan to build an indoor pool and wellness center.
- Franklin County has lacked a year-round swim facility since 2021.
- The project will move forward with a design firm selection.
Students on Frankfort’s Western Hills High School swim team weren’t at a public meeting taking place four miles from their school Monday. They were at practice 15 miles away in Versailles when their school and city agreed to build Franklin County’s newest indoor pool and wellness center.
The Franklin County Fiscal Court, city of Frankfort, Franklin County Public Schools and the state formalized an agreement Sept. 29 to work together on the capital’s next recreation amenity.
Next, the group of local leaders will issue a request for proposals seeking the right design firm to help them conceptualize the center that will go on state-owned land off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard behind the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
“We think it’s very important for our students to have a pool where our swim teams can practice without have to go to other counties,” said Franklin County Public Schools Board Member Natalie Lyle during the three-minute special meeting.
“And so, I really hope that we can and that the numbers add up.”
In a social media post following the vote, Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller said the state, county fiscal court, city and school system have been working on the project for nearly two years.
“I am so proud of these entities working together for an important amenity, which has been a long need for our community!” he said. “This is a first step and will require community support and work — we can do this.”
Franklin County has gone without a year-round aquatic facility since October 2021.
That’s when Kentucky State University’s aquatic facilities, which are open to the public closed due to boiler failure. At the time, it was the only remaining indoor swim facility in Frankfort. The local nonprofit Swim with Purpose started in 2023 to help fund a $1 million restoration project necessary to reopen the facility.
At the end of July, Swim with Purpose had raised $425,000, according to the State Journal.
The city operates the Juniper Hill Aquatic Center during the summer months between Memorial and Labor days. This year in August, the pool was only open on weekends.
In 2009, the city permanently closed its only public pool in East Frankfort Park due to too many costly repairs.
Access to public pools, especially those offering swim lessons, decreases the risk of accidental drowning which kills approximately 4,000 people per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.
Public pools provide a place for exercise and can foster a sense of community, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Public pools, especially with wellness centers attached, also stand as a source of employment of all types.
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