BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — The Martin County Pool will reopen June 1 after an eight-year closure. Assuming a contractor discovers no underground damage this week and finishes repairs on schedule.

Officials are already taking applications for lifeguard positions in anticipation of the reopening.

Martin County Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills said Aquatics Construction will arrive Wednesday (May 21) to prepare the 49-year-old facility at Ray Fields Park.

“We’re really excited,” Mills said during an interview at the government center. “Opening the pool is a top priority for the fiscal court. They began work last fall.”

Since then, the county has updated the plumbing and remodeled the restrooms.

“We’re doing everything we can to get it open for our kids,” added Mills. “They need this. We’re going to clean it up and be ready to go.”

Lifeguard applications are available now in the judge’s office. The county plans to hire local staff and complete their training before the pool opens.

This summer, the pool will offer new programs, including swim lessons and “dive-in” movie nights. Mills said there is also interest in starting swim teams.

“Someone from Louisa contacted us,” she said. “They’ve been organizing regional swim meets and wanted to see if we would be interested. I told her that we would be very interested in doing that if we can make it possible this year.”

Many residents praised the county’s investment in the pool.

“This is wonderful for the community,” Benton Crum said.

Others said they are most excited about the opportunity for children to take swim lessons, reducing the risk of drowning.

Some residents value the physical activity and social interaction the pool provides in a community with limited recreational options for youth.

“[The pool] is something fun for the kids to do and a place for them to see their friends over the summer,” Tara Raines said.

Lori Smith has “great memories” of her childhood days at the pool.

“I sure hope it is a place where kids can hang out and enjoy the summer,” she said.

The Martin County pool first opened in 1976. Mike Cassady, a former deputy judge/executive of many years, recalled that Ray Fields was the judge at the time. Now the park bears Fields’ name.

Michael Webb remembers swimming there the summer the pool opened.

“The lifeguards tossed out wooden floating Bicentennial round chips,” Webb said.

A few years later, in the 1980s, Webb got a job in the basket room at the front entrance.

“Mickey McCoy was the pool manager,” said Webb, who worked as a lifeguard and assistant manager in subsequent summers.

McCoy remembered working at the pool in 1976. He was the only qualified lifeguard at first, having taken training at the University of Kentucky.

In 2017, after 41 years, the fiscal court did not open the pool, citing high repair and operation costs.

Mills will announce the pool schedule and admission prices after the contractor’s final assessment this week.