The nearest public swimming facilities are still available at the LaFayette Recreation Park, Gilbert-Stephenson Park in Fort Oglethorpe and the Ringgold public pool.
Rossville City Council this week chose to close the city’s public pool, fill it in and make it an addition to the municipal park. Mayor Johnny Baker said North Georgia YMCA reported it lost about $20,000 while it managed the pool for the past three years, and could not continue operating at a loss.
“We have tried unsuccessfully to find any interested party that might be willing to run the pool,” Baker said. “The pool would probably need $10,000 to $20,000 renovation to make it accessible for anyone to run.
“It’s nothing but a liability,” Baker said. “The only way we could make any money would be to charge about 10 bucks a head, and who’s going to swim for 10 bucks?”
Public swimming pools should open around Memorial Day. For information and fee schedules about LaFayette pool, call (706) 638-3908. For information about Ringgold pool, call (706) 935-3061, and call (706) 866-5045 for Fort Oglethorpe pool.
The availability of pools in backyards all around the Rossville area has contributed to the downfall of the public facility, Baker said, adding he has heard that a nearby Tennessee city may close its public pool. Chickamauga also closed its public pool in recent years.
“We’re going to fill it in, landscape it, and make it a pretty part of our park,” Baker said.
“It saddens me that there are some young people that count on that pool to go swimming and spend the day there,” Baker said. “It’s just not feasible with its burden on the taxpayers of the city of Rossville.
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