After $900,000 in repairs, the Bluffton Pool is ready for swimmers. Here’s when it opens
After nearly eight months of closure and nearly $1 million in repairs, the Bluffton Pool will reopen Monday.
Located at 55 Pritchard St., the pool shut down in February after an inspection revealed the roof overhead was in danger of collapsing in high winds or heavy rainfall, according to previous Island Packet reporting. The inspection was conducted as part of the Beaufort County “master plan” to update all four of its pools, the county said.
In August 2021, a coach for the Bluffton Fins swim team that practices at the pool expressed concerns over its condition, which, at the time, featured corrosion from the ceiling that was falling into water along with no air conditioning.
On Feb. 22, the county said it was notified about the pool’s structural problems and that a second detailed assessment was to be conducted to determine the extent of the damage, Island Packet previously reported. It was shut down the same day.
Two months later, county officials announced a new plan that they estimated would let families get back in the water by August.
The County Engineering department and C.E. Bourne and Co. of Greenwood completed $900,000 in repairs, replacing the Bluffton Pool’s roof panels and structural roof clips that hold the roof to the structural beams. Repairs also included refurbishing and removing corrsion from the beams, adding anti-corrosive paint to them and replacing lighting over the pool.
Cost of repairs came from the $9 million surplus from the county’s 2022 budget, according to a news release.
Shannon Loper, director of parks and recreation, said the department is “excited” to have the pool reopen.
“It’s a relief to know that the facility is structurally sound and can serve the community while we develop the long-range plan for the four-county pools,” Loper said.
Beaufort County pool hours
Bluffton Pool: 55 Pritchard St.
- Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Slip & Splash Saturdays 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Battery Creek Pool: 1B Blue Dolphin Drive
- Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Slip & Splash Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Beaufort Pool: 35 Youmans Drive
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 a.m. noon and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Charles Lind Brown Pool
- Closed for the season.
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 10:21 AM.
