Major construction is slated for the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center (GAFC) indoor pool in 2025, projected to last from June to October 2025, during which time the indoor pool will be closed.
This isn’t the first time that the GAFC pools have been renovated, or even the first time in the 2020s. Earlier this year, the indoor pools were closed temporarily for minor repairs, and structural remediation was done for the outdoor pools in 2022. This new renovation will be more substantial though: $1.65 million is set aside to pay for the remediation of a large portion of the indoor pool deck, which will take several months. However, the city is taking steps to minimize the impact that the project will have on city residents.
Although the indoor pool will be inaccessible to the public for four months, the city is considering extending the seasonal operation of the outdoor pool through October so residents will continue to have access to that pool. The project contract also keeps construction equipment and material off public parking spaces to prevent Roosevelt Center’s parking areas from becoming obstacle courses. Though the remediation plans include concrete demolition, the construction crew will also make sure that no debris is left and the indoor areas are in pristine condition.
Funding Renovations
Despite the price tag, the cost is not set to break the city’s budget. The lion’s share of it is covered through Maryland’s Program Open Space (POS), which matches local funding for public space projects with state funding by a factor of 10. In this case, the city puts forward $150,000 and Maryland will provide the remaining $1.5 million. $150,000 is still a significant investment, but it’s small compared to other parts of the city’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget: for example, the projected revenue from GAFC’s daily admissions alone is greater, with $171,000 projected revenue from daily admissions for 2025.
POS Funding
The city has previously used POS funding to repave the parking lot for Buddy Attick Park as well as to renovate Greenbelt’s tennis courts. In FY 2025, however, there are considerably fewer POS funds to go around in Prince George’s County – $4.7 million as opposed to the $13.3 million the county had allocated for 2024. As a result, earlier this year there was an added rush to get “shovel-ready” projects approved while there were still funds available.
During its June 17 meeting, the Greenbelt City Council supported the use of POS funds on the pool renovation project, though not without some criticism. Councilmember Silke Pope wished that the plans kept the addition of a splash pad, which was in an earlier version of the plan, though she didn’t see its absence as a reason to delay its approval. Councilmember Rodney Roberts took greater umbrage with the funding itself, saying that this use of the POS funds “is pretty pathetic.” For Roberts, this construction project, like the parking lot and tennis courts before it, doesn’t meet the original POS goal: to purchase and protect land. Still, because this project will be for public spaces, it meets Maryland’s POS requirements.