Louisville is seeking bids for the Algonquin pool construction contract through its online procurement portal. The last day for submitting bids is April 17.
City officials announced last month that the only public swimming pool in the West End would be demolished and rebuilt.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said the new pool would be the “finest” in the city at a press conference last month where officials released renderings of plans for the new pool’s exterior and interior. The plans include amenities like a water slide, a lily pad bridge, a climbing wall and a vortex.
An estimated $9 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds will go toward renovations of the Algonquin and Camp Taylor pools, city officials said. In a press release, they added that the cost of rebuilding both pools is estimated at $11.5 million, which could change.
Algonquin pool is surrounded by the majority-Black neighborhoods of Parkland, Park DuValle, Park Hill, Hallmark and Algonquin.
Last May, Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation announced that the Algonquin and Camp Taylor pools would be closed for renovations after reports of “vandalism” and years of poor upkeep.
After public frustration over the pool’s closure ahead of summer break, Metro Council Member Tammy Hawkins, a District 1 Democrat, arranged YMCA and Kentucky Kingdom passes for some west Louisville residents in June.
Then, the city announced community input meetings to focus on the future of the pool.
Metro Parks and Recreation Director Jason Canuel told LPM News in August the meetings were important to making sure all Louisvillians have public pool access.
“By taking a pool away from a few folks that don’t want it, you’re taking it away from a large population that does use the pool,” he said.
Edmund Robinson, president of the local advocacy group Algonquin Community United, told LPM last August he hopes residents can urge the city to improve pool access.
“Even though they weren't doing their part and they were supposed to from the beginning, but now we’re paying attention. Hopefully it gets resolved, especially with our tax money,” he said.
