Dayton to reopen pool that closed during COVID pandemic, plus upgrade another

“We want to open all three of our pools back to their regular schedule,” said Stephan Marcellus, director of Dayton’s recreation department.

Dayton has indoor pools at its three recreation centers, the Northwest Recreation Center at 1600 Princeton Drive (called the Dabney Pool), the Lohrey Recreation Center at 2366 Glenarm Ave. in southeast Dayton (called the Belmont Pool) and the Greater Dayton Recreation Center at 2021 W. Third St. in West Dayton.

But lifeguard shortages during the pandemic resulted in the closure of the pool at the Greater Dayton Recreation Center about three years ago, and the city also reduced the hours of operation at its other two pools, Marcellus said.

A city schedule shows that the Belmont pool at the Lohrey center is closed Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the Dabney Pool at the Northwest center is closed Wednesdays and Fridays.

Even with a pool closure and reduced hours at the other facilities, more than 13,000 people took part in the city’s aquatic programming in the first three quarters of this year, city data show.

The city hopes to get the Belmont and Dabney pools back on their full schedules next year, meaning they will be open every day of the week, Marcellus said.

Marcellus said the pool at the Greater Dayton Recreation Center is expected operate on a weekend schedule when it reopens.

After experiencing lifeguard shortages, he said the city now has four lifeguards with swim lesson certification — compared to one a year ago.

“We are slowly getting back to a full swim lesson schedule, but that will depend on a number of factors,” he said.

Marcellus also said the city plans to spend about $1.3 million renovating the Belmont Pool. That work will begin in 2025, and the pool will be closed during construction.

City officials say the Belmont Pool hasn’t seen any improvements in years, and the renovation work will fix some cosmetic issues.