KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The city’s newest public pool opens Wednesday, July 4. The KC Parks Department held a soft opening Monday for the Gorman Pool located at 1101 NE 47th Street in the Northland.
The pool used to be part of the YMCA. When the YMCA closed, Kansas City bought the property. It spent about $2.8 million renovating the outdoor pool and building a new house for restrooms, concessions, and showers.
A third of the money came from the city’s Public Improvements Advisory Council. About $1.8 million came from the North Oak Tax Increment Financing district, which taxes businesses along North Oak Trafficway.
The parks department said people living in the community made having a neighborhood pool their top priority.
The pool is named after Anita B. Gorman. She was the first woman to serve on the Kansas City, Missouri Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. She said her daughter was the first person to swim in the pool when the YMCA first opened it about 50 years ago.
Now, Gorman has helped raise money to pay for swim lessons at the new pool.
“If you look at statistics, you'll notice not knowing how to swim is a real problem for children. There's a very high denominator for children dying. We don't need that,” she explained.
The pool is free on Wednesday for its opening day. It will remain open until August 12. Its hours of operation are Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
