Cravens Pool is behind schedule and will not be opening next weekend as originally believed, according to Owensboro Parks and Recreation officials.
“We are clearly off schedule, and I’ve been promised a new project schedule on a lengthy phone call. So I told [City Manager] Nate Pagan, I’d prefer not to discuss it until I know what’s going to happen,” Director of Parks and Recreation Amanda Rogers said.
Rogers said the pool renovations are behind schedule due to stainless steel production, electrical permit issues, and recent weather.
Rogers acknowledged that she doesn’t like the delay in construction.
“I know being off schedule is not going to make the general public happy, nor is it making me very happy right now. So I’d rather not discuss it until I get that schedule from the contractors,” Rogers said.
After construction started in January, the pool was expected to open on May 27 for Memorial Day weekend, alongside the other pools. Before that, it was expected to open in the summer of 2023, but supply shortages caused significant delays.
Combest Pool and City Spray Parks will open May 25. Hours of operation for Combest Pool are 12-4:30 p.m. and 1-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. The spray parks located at Smothers Park, Legion Park, and Kendall-Perkins Park are open 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Parks and Recreation Department released renderings of the new Cravens Pool layout in July. The layout included a larger footprint, interactive play structures, more deck space, pool seating, and zero-depth entry.
Then, Rogers said the design would significantly increase the size of the pool. She said plans include zero-depth entry, meaning the entry on the shallow end will be at ground level, and the pool floor will slope gradually to the deep end. Rogers said the pool will cap at 4.5-5 feet deep.
The shallow end will have a multi-level play structure with a slide, spray features and accessible water tables. The pool’s center will feature shade structures and an in-water bench along the wall, allowing guests to sit in the pool. A video breakdown of the new design and features can be viewed here.
Rogers told the City Commission in July that the project exceeded the budgeted $750,000, but she said she was assured by City Manager Nate Pagan that they would be able to complete it even with the extra cost.
