Woodbridge Town Pool set for late summer reopening

WOODBRIDGE — Recreation officials say that after treading water for the last six months, the town’s beloved swimming pool is slated for a late summer reopening.

The Woodbridge Town Pool, located inside Beecher Road School, is expected to reopen in August or September, according to Recreation Department Office Manager Jonathan DeMayo. The pool closed in September 2022 for annual maintenance but is still shuttered partly due to larger issues discovered during the shutdown.

Last month, town officials approved a roughly $61,000 funding request from the Recreation Department to replace the pool’s filters and other associated equipment at the facility, which will allow for pool activities to resume while officials assess the structure’s longterm future.

Opened in 1972, the swimming pool has been an indispensable resource for the community and a crucial element for the safety of its residents, especially schoolchildren, thousands of whom have learned to swim through BRS’ “Learn to Swim” program or through lessons offered by the Recreation Department. The school’s swim program also acts as a feeder system to the Amity Regional High School swim team and the Woodbridge Aquatic Club, according to Woodbridge First Selectman Beth Heller.

“I believe that the Beecher Road School Pool is an asset to our community,” Heller said in a statement last month. “The pool provides a recreational outlet and opportunity for the continued health and well-being for all community members, from the youngest to the oldest of our residents.”

Since the pool’s shutdown, Recreation Commission Chair Andrea Weinstein and other board members had lobbied Selectmen to approve the filter purchase to get the pool back in use as soon as possible. Calls for repairs were also heard in letters written by some residents, including former Olympic swimmer and bronze medalist Margaux Farrell, a BRS alum.

Weinstein called the Board of Selectmen’s authorization of the filter purchase “empowering” on Wednesday.

“I was really thrilled that this request and this strong feeling about how the pool enhances the community has been heard and it’s being acted on,” Weinstein said. “It felt like the process, and the discussion really worked to an end that benefits the community.”

A consulting report given to the Board of Selectmen in October 2022 showed that the pool’s entire repairs would cost about $860,000. In addition, BRS requires more immediate repairs, such as replacing the roof and fixing flooding and security issues.

A town building committee, which was formed to look at repairing BRS, is finalizing a request for proposals this week, according to committee chair and Selectwoman Sheila McCreven. Whether the RFP will include engineering services for the pool is unclear following the purchase of the filters, McCreven, a former school board member, said. The building committee hopes to have Beecher’s repairs completed during summer 2024, she added.

With the pool facing significant repair costs, the uncertainty over its future could take much longer to clear up, officials noted.

With increasing enrollment and a need for more space at BRS, officials have discussed the possibility of converting the pool area into extra classrooms. The Board of Education recently formed an ad hoc committee charged with studying space needs at the school, and the group will deliver a report to the board in September.

But for now, residents looking to swim a few strokes or escape from the heat can do so starting this summer.

“At the very least, we’ll have a pool accessible to the community for the next few years if everything goes according to plan,” Weinstein said.

Town of Woodbridge/Contributed photo The Woodbridge Town Pool, located inside Beecher Road School, is expected to reopen in August or September, recreation officials said.