Dear Malvern Hills Pool supporters,
Today is the day we have been waiting for: between 5-7 pm today, Asheville Parks and Rec is holding a drop-in meeting at West Asheville park (at the bottom of Vermont Ave) to unveil the redesign for Malvern Hills Pool.
Just this morning, a member of City Council shared an image of the redesign with the Rebuild leadership team.
There is a lot to celebrate about the design. APR is keeping the historic exterior of the bathhouse and adding shade canopies. There will be accessible parking added so that all members of our community will be able to access the rebuilt pool.
However, there is one major concern. Our community has been consistent with our requests: (1) that the dimensions of the pool be preserved and (2) that there is a deep end. In fact, in the community survey write-in option, “deep end” was by far the most common response.
In the redesign, there is no deep end. Instead, there is a diving area -- a small panhandle area off of the pool where the deep end used to be. This new area is just large enough for a single diving board and diver. This shrinks the footprint of the pool by converting pool space into concrete pool deck (as seen in the image above).
Our primary concern is that, if this project goes over-budget (which is not unlikely), the first concession will be this diving area.
Here is our proposed solution: let’s advocate that the design be returned to a conventional, rectangular pool with a deep end. This is the most cost effective use of taxpayer dollars, and it is less likely that the deep end would be eliminated for budgetary reasons.
Please show up tonight at West Asheville Park between 5 and 7 pm. Wear your Malvern Hills Pool t-shirt, and please express to Asheville Parks and Recreation design team that a small diving area is not a deep end.
Our community has fought hard to preserve Malvern Hills Pool -- as a swimming pool -- for another 90 years, not just for the residents of West Asheville, but for all of the residents of our City who seek a deep, cold swimming pool at which to recreate on hot summer days.
Thanks,
Sally and the Rebuild Team