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Two city pools aren't quite ready for summer
By BABITA PERSAUD, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Nine-year-old Ashley Galloway is bummed. When she gets out of school today, there won't be a pool to go splash in at the recreation center she frequents on Oregon Avenue, near North Boulevard. The city pool there is closed for renovation. "I like swimming more than anything," Galloway said. The official opening day for all city of Tampa pools is Saturday, but because of construction, two pools won't open: the Martin Luther King Jr. Pool at 2200 Oregon Ave. and the Bobby Hicks Pool at 4120 W Mango Ave. The MLK pool is undergoing a substantial facelift. It might open later in June, Tampa Recreation Department officials said. When it does, it will have a new tube slide, a new lifeguard area and a remodeled pool deck. The Bobby Hicks pool, near south Manhattan Avenue, will reopen in late June. It has been closed for a month and is undergoing repairs to the deck area and diving board. The city has 12 pools, all of which are free. Swimming lessons, though, run about $15 for eight sessions. Each pool has different hours, but generally the pools are open in the afternoons and on Saturdays. There are different times for public swim, family swim and laps. Many Boys & Girls Clubs rely on the pools for summer programs. Melvin Forman, branch director of the Boys & Girls near the Bobby Hicks pool, said the closure won't ruin their summer. They plan to shuttle kids 2 miles south to the Interbay Pool on W Estrella Street. "It's a small obstacle," Forman said.
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