Michigan lawmakers are sending millions of dollars in funding from the state budget to help rebuild Lansing’s historic Moores Park Pool.
The pool was shut down in 2019 after being open for nearly 100 years. At the time, officials cited costly repairs that were necessary to keep it operational.
Soon after its closure, Lansing residents got together to begin to raise funds to reopen the pool.
Dale Schrader is the head of Friends of Moores Park Pool. He says the city is expected to receive more than $6 million from the state to help with restoration costs.
“It's just very important for the community, for children to learn to swim, for a sense of place that the community can pull together. It's more than just nostalgia,” he said. “It's a living thing that can be brought back and be beautiful again.”
The pool is on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by Lansing city engineer, Wesley Bintz. He designed more than 130 above ground pools around the country.
But the Lansing pool is the oldest surviving one in the United States.
State Senator Sarah Anthony advocated for the funding. She says she wanted to be a part of the effort to preserve a historic place.
“It is addressing blight in the City of Lansing, particularly on the south side. It's also creating positive spaces for kids and families to enjoy,” she said. “Quite honestly, it is preserving a really a jewel for Michigan.”
Anthony says once the city receives the funding from the state, construction can begin.
“What we hope to see is revitalization of the entire park,” she said. “I hope that by revitalizing the pool, we also start fixing the parks, the trails, areas that encourage people to get outside.”
City Councilmember Ryan Kost who represents Lansing's First Ward says the pool's legacy spans generations.
“This is immense for the city of Lansing. It goes back to putting our neighborhoods first,” he said. “Getting this pool going is not just for the few neighborhoods that surround it, but people have come from all over to swim in that pool.”
Kost says once the city receives the funds, officials will put a call for bids for the pool’s construction.
“We've already done the study that determines how much the restoration will cost, so we kind of have an idea of what's going to be needed,” he said.
The city is expecting to receive the money in the coming months.
