SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — After not having a city pool since 2020, the City of South Fulton has approved $3 million for swimming pools at three of its parks, finally giving the community and swim team a place to splash.
The pools at Welcome All Park used to be a gem of the community, but they've been closed for three years. Now, the pools will get a new life after the City of South Fulton Council approved $1.5 million for a major facelift.
An aquatic relic of the past is creating major issues for the present.
“It's a hardship not only on our swim team but for our high school programs, our learning to swim programs, and our even our seniors," Ivy Edelin, a swim mom and treasurer of South Fulton's Swordfish Swim Team.
Welcome All Park's pool used to be the team's home, but now they must travel to Atlanta to practice.
“It's tough during the school year with traffic and then them getting home, having to do homework, but also not having that availability to have access to a pool," Edelin said.
City of South Fulton Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis sponsored the legislation that the council approved unanimously to gut both pools at Welcome All Park and start from scratch.
“This is the only pool in the City of South Fulton and is over 21 years old," Willis said while giving 11Alive a tour of the pools and showing some of the improvements ahead.
Willis headed over to the pumping room, showing what filters the pool needs to be replaced, "it's rusted out."
Some other improvements include an air conditioning system and lifesaving equipment.
“We have to replace all of the diamond boards and we have to replace some of the flooring, the panels on the floor," Willis said.
In addition to the $1.5 million for Welcome All Park pools, the city council approved up to another $1.5 million for new swimming pools at two other city parks.
“Those will be outdoor pools that will go to Burdett Park, and then the other facility or park, it will go to will be Cedar Grove," Willis said.
The Swordfish Swim Team looks forward to taking their marks closer to home.
“We’ll just love to have our pool back so that we can really take our team to the next level," Edelin said.
Contractors will go before the city council, and after the board makes a selection, Welcome All's aquatic center should be completed within 14 months.