For Immediate Release: 7/5/2011 10:06 am
Worcester, MA (July 1, 2011) - City Manager Michael V. O’Brien, Mayor Joseph C. O’Brien and members of Worcester City Council were joined by neighbors and residents of Green Island today to open the newly constructed Crompton Park Pool.
Crompton Park Pool is the first City-owned pool to undergo renovations after a comprehensive aquatics plan was approved by Worcester City Council in 2008 to replace the City’s aging and deteriorating swimming pools.
"Our community values the importance of our City pools — our pools are a safe and fun place for our young people to enjoy, to meet friends and to stay cool in the hot summer months," said City Manager O’Brien. "We understand and recognize that it is our responsibility and our obligation to build for a better future, to invest, to improve and to enhance upon our community’s resources for this generation and the next."
The 6,500-square-foot facility employs a creative new model of pool design that reflects contemporary uses and technology. The pool features a zero-depth entry, a splash pad for toddlers, a slide, three lap lanes, outside showers, security cameras, family restrooms with changing areas, bicycle storage racks and more.
Crompton Park Pool and Greenwood Spray Facility, in addition to all City beaches (Bell Pond, Coes Pond, Indian Lake, and Shore Park) will open today. All are staffed with lifeguards from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM seven days a week until August 15.
City Manager O’Brien also announced today the kick-off of the 2011 Wheels to Water Program, which is set to begin on Tuesday, July 5th. The free summer program offers transportation Monday through Friday to the following swimming facilities: Boys & Girls Club, YWCA of Central Massachusetts, YMCA—Central Branch, Girls Inc, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the College of the Holy Cross. Friendly House will coordinate transportation to these facilities. Swimming lessons will be offered at the Boys and Girls Club, YWCA of Central Massachusetts, YMCA—Central Branch and the City beaches. Participants must register in advance for swimming lessons.
Interested City youth between the ages of 7 and 17 can register for the Wheels to Water Program at any one of ten participating neighborhood-based organizations, or can fill out an application located on the City’s web site at www.worcesterma.gov. Brochures and applications are available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese.
This year’s program will once again feature recreational activities facilitated by the Boys & Girls Club and Girls, Inc. at the following locations: Beaver Brook Park, Elm Park Community School and Great Brook Valley. Programming will include arts and crafts, sports clinics, summer reading, lunch and more. The Worcester Public Schools will provide similar educational and recreational opportunities at the following schools: Elm Park Community School, Canterbury Street Community School, Quinsigamond Elementary School and Norback Street School.
For more information about Wheels to Water, call Friendly House at (508) 755-4362. For more information on the recreational programs, call Yesenia Moysanet, Boys & Girls Club at (508) 753-3377.
