Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation has taken the next step in refurbishing the 22-year-old Riney-B Aquatic Center.

The Aquatic Center closes indefinitely

On May 29, 2022, The Riney-B Aquatic Center’s main filtration pump system failed. Parks and recreation then gave notice through its Facebook page that the pool would not be open for Memorial Day Weekend.

A little later, parks and recreation notified the public that the parts needed to repair the pool would arrive in about five months. This meant the facilities would be closing for the summer.

Residents of Jessamine County could no longer rely on the aquatic center for their summer 2021 fun.

Special meeting finalizes repair plans

The parks and recreation board signed a bid in a special meeting on Thursday, December 1. The bid awarded contractor Bluegrass Recreational Sales and Installation with funding to repair the splash pad and activity tower at the aquatic center.

The $1.23 million approved bid includes repairing the pump house, the splash pad, the main pump and resurfacing the pool’s floor. That $1.23 million did not include the sandblasting cost but will once the group gets access to a price estimate.

“That is basically… That is as close to building a new one as we can with what we got,” said Doug Blackford, the director of general government at the city of Nicholasville.

The closure upset Jessamine County residents. But Nicholasville City Commissioner Alex Carter said many cities are in the same situation, scrambling to repair their pools.

“One of the major things that happened with the pools, because of COVID, is they shut down for a year. And you cannot shut down a municipal pool for a year without major renovations, which is what we’re doing,” said John Howard, the Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation. “It’s like not running your car for a year and just thinking you’re gonna jump right in and drive around.”

Blackford said that the parts will arrive by February 1, 2023, and the contractor will get to work soon after. The pool is set to reopen come Memorial Day 2023.