RECENT COMMENTS
Joel Cabot on Power Outage on the Hill
Eric S. Huffstutler on What is up with the Church Hill Post Office?
Eric S. Huffstutler on What is up with the Church Hill Post Office?
Yvette Cannon on What is up with the Church Hill Post Office?
crd on Power Outage on the Hill
Is there interest in a pool in Church Hill?
07/12/2014 9:46 AM by John M
By Tom Oristan
With the summer heat upon us, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of a Church Hill community pool. I figure CHPN would be a great way to get an informal sense of the interest in bringing a pool back to Church Hill.
There is some timeliness here which warrants the discussion:
- it’s frickin hot.
- The Anirav Pool (a great pool of which many Church Hillians have been members) will not open this summer due to needed repairs.
- There are more and more families with kids in Church Hill and every great neighborhood has a pool.
If there is interest, I was thinking of putting together a team from the neighborhood to look into it further.
So – what do people think?
- Should Church Hill have a pool?
- If so, where would you like to see a pool?
- If not, why, and what pool do you already use?
- Lastly, does anybody know why Chimbo pool ultimately closed?
Thanks, and let me know if you’d be interested in helping me think through it some more (tom.oristian@gmail.com)
— ∮∮∮ —
PHOTO: Randolph Community Pool (1974) via the Valentine Richmond History Center (Richmond Newspapers, Inc.; Gormus, P.A., Jr.)
Boy that pool look out of place right next to houses. But yes, all communities should have a public pool. Where is the nearest one? Isn’t there one near Luck’s/Parker Field?
Absolutely Yes!!!
I think it should be located in the park off M and 27-28th.
The Chimborazo Pool was near the park house where the tennis court is. Cracks due to the train tunnel caused leakage and maintenance problems. Isn’t there a community pool in Fulton, the Powhatan Rec Center? Ginter Park has a private pool on Hawthorne Ave. that is another option. It wouldn’t hurt pursuing the idea for where a community pool could be located if there’s enough interest.
There are two pools close by but centered in low income areas. Not sure how active they are?
Fairmount Pool (near Luck’s-Parker Field)
2000 U Street (N 20th and U Street)
Woodville Pool
2305 Fairfield Ave
(N 25th and Fairfield)
Free Press from this past week has an article about the city offering free swimming lessons at the public pools: Battery Park, Bellemeade, Blackwell, Fairmount, Hotchkiss, Powhatan (@6 Sue- yes there’s one there), Randolph, and Woodville.
Ripping up the petanque courts won’t solve the problem because of soil instability. The train tunnel runs diagonally under the park. There’s also plenty of natural springs in the area so a location would have to be carefully thought out. Start walking or driving around the area and look for some options.
Yes!
“3.There are more and more families with kids in Church Hill and every great neighborhood has a pool.”
The Chimborazo pool was packed during kid swim hours. We have always had kids in the neighborhood.
Does anyone know when the Chimborazo Pool at 29th and Grace actually closed? I know I ran across a notice of it opening for the season in 1983.
Back in 2012 when there was a long thread here about the courts, it was said that the city let the park go to trash and there was even bullet holes in the tennis court. Then hurricane Gaston finished it off. Not sure if the tunnel had anything to do with the old pool closing but simply let go into disrepair by the city?
are we thinking swim team and all?
On M b/w 27th and 28th sounds great. No one uses those tennis courts.
Great idea!
Rachel, you mean at Ethel Bailey Furman Park? Planning would need to do studies. Could end up being the same reason people in that area are not using the tennis courts would be the same reason people from St. John’s would not go there to swim. Demographics. Need a balanced neutral area. Sad but true.
A pool would be awesome. I have been to the pool in the Fairmount area and it gets packed. Kids love a pool. And so do I. Would love to see another.
Gray, when did they close the pool? What condition was it in? Do you know why it was removed rather than fixed? Which pool was suggested as the alternative place to go? From what I read it was mostly the lack of maintenance by the city.
Gaston hit in 2004 and caused the massive sinkhole in the area. The pool already had leakage issues before the storm hit and Recreation and Parks felt it was too expensive to maintain a small pool. Perhaps there were other reasons for developing the park differently back then, but the tunnel was always a primary issue. There used to be a cinder block house where the private garden bordering 29th and the alley, too. I guess someone needs to hire a geologist and an engineer to see if this site is feasible. Gunshots, needles, and superloud boom boxes were not uncommon in the park in the nineties (80’s too) and started tapering off by early 2000’s.
The Powhatan Rec Center on Williamsburg Rd. has a pool and a successful swim team. An alternative to a pool might be a spray park.
I remember that the pool at 29th & Grace was drained and closed as of summer of 2003, well before Isabel hit that September. Not sure when it was actually closed, but couldn’t have been much more than a year or two before that.
I love the idea of a spray park. I think that would be much more easily accomplished than building a pool, particularly in this area.
Glad to see the overwhelmingly positive comments. Please email me or tweet me ( tom.oristian [at] gmail , @tomeeo) if u want to help me look into it further !
We’ve had a good experience with the Fairmount pool. Our 17mo old love the splash park.
In a city where the streets are so well poorly maintain . Do you think this is an area to spend city money?
We would love a pool nearby. We were just talking about this last week….
Instead of a pool, how about a nice family friendly ice cream shop?! Something similar to Carl’s in Fredricksburg. No fancy flavors, just good old milkshakes and cones.
@Michael – For years I dreamt of opening a place like that on the empty lot at 25th and Venable, but now we’ve got good ice-cream in the neighborhood.
Chocolates by Kelly is selling Gelati Celeste, WPA Bakery has home-made ice-cream, and Urban Farmhouse has milkshakes.
If anyone wonders why the tennis courts at Ethel Bailey Furman Park do not get used, take a walk on them and tell me what you think. I first started using them 7 years ago when they weren’t half bad. There are more weeds in those courts now than in my backyard.
Tim H. You can thank the city for that… again. Just look at Jefferson Park and the grass/weeds which have grown 6-feet tall. You can’t even see the steps going from Cedar Street up to the top for them and it has been reported numerous times on the ClickFix option. If they can’t take care of a high profile grass cutting issue I doubt a few weeks worry them even if they are growing in the middle of the courts.
I remember, about 15 years ago, that a neighbor told me that they took down the tennis court nets at night from Furman Park because they were stolen by people from the neighborhood. The use? To use them as fishing nets when they were fishing at Great Shiplock Park. Back then, if you played tennis you brought your own nets with you and took them home after you were finished!
Absolutely!!!
How safe did people feel while they were playing there?
Safety was not an issue. It was during the day time and the criminals only come out at night. Fishermen are not a threat to society!
Grass courts?
Thanks John! Ive asked and no one told me we had ice cream in the neighborhood!!
Yes! Would love a pool in Church Hill, though as long time members of Anirav we will most likely go back when (and if) they reopen next summer. For now my 13 year old is riding his bike to the Randolph pool but only for swim team practice. It’s pretty far away.
@23. As far as the tennis courts at Furman Park…the reason I don’t play there is the condtition they’re in. It’s too bad too since I live so close by. Not sure what demographic you’re referring to. Besides…exactly who do you think doesn’t play tennis or swim? Just curious.
I really like Trish’s spray park idea. Much less maintenance and no life guards needed. If it’s well done, it can serve as a fountain in to the cooler months.