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Summer Activity Passes for the Republic Bank YMCA and TARC as well as discounted to Kentucky Kingdom will go to families affected by the Algonquin pool reconstruction project.
LOUISVILLE, KY (RIOT) (June 15, 2023) – Mayor Craig Greenberg joined representatives from the YMCA of Greater Louisville, Kentucky Kingdom and TARC Thursday at Algonquin Park to announce a new partnership that will provide summer activity passes and memberships to families in West Louisville. The announcement marks the first time Metro Government has partnered with all three organizations to offer free passes and memberships to hundreds of local families.
Many were upset following the announcement that the Algonquin and Camp Taylor pools would be closed for the summer to ramp up for intended renovations, even Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins who expressed her own concerns. What many don't know is that the park was built in the 1930s and the pool itself in the 1960s with no notable renovations since it's construction. Deteriorating conditions make it more costly as well as more dangerous to operate. Mayor Greenberg mentioned that it would have cost roughly $850,000 to open the Algonquin facility this year, much of which would be one time repair fees of outdated equipment that would likely need further repairs in the future. It's believed that the $6 million investment would be much better in the long run for the community. That still left quite the gap for youths looking to swim this summer.
In an effort to combat this gap in resources, today Mayor Greenberg joined District 1 Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins for the announcement at the park, where major renovations to the pool are set to begin later this summer.
"Algonquin has been underserved since 2004, " Councilwoman Hawkins stated, "But with the work of myself, my colleagues, the new administration, and parks; we're going to fix this. We can't worry any longer about what happened in the past, but moving forward I promise whole heartedly that pools not just like Algonquin, but any other pool, any other park will no longer be overlooked."
“I’m thrilled for the residents of Algonquin and surrounding neighborhoods who will soon enjoy a new pool at Algonquin Park. In the meantime, we wanted these families to have options for swimming and other summer activities,” said Mayor Greenberg. “We’re incredibly grateful for our partners at the YMCA, Kentucky Kingdom and TARC for stepping up and helping us with these passes and memberships.”
The passes and memberships are being purchased by Metro Parks and Recreation and will be distributed to the families over the coming weeks. They include full memberships to the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA, unlimited access to Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay, and free TARC rides for the summer.
“We’re so excited for this first-of-its-kind partnership with Metro Government,” said YMCA of Greater Louisville CEO Steve Tarver. “We look forward to these families taking part in many of our summer programs and activities and utilizing our incredible facility on West Broadway every day.”
“We are glad to partner in this important endeavor because it’s a great way for us to give back to our community and show how Kentucky Kingdom puts our Leading with Love principles into action every day,” said Logan Sanderson, Kentucky Kingdom marketing manager.
“TARC is excited to partner with Mayor Greenberg to make our Summer Youth Pass cost-free to participants for the rest of the summer,” said TARC Executive Director Carrie Butler. “This expands on a top priority of both the Greenberg administration and TARC – helping transit-reliant families with easier access to activities and opportunity.”
Algonquin residents interested in a summer activity pass can call Councilwoman Hawkins’ office at 502-574-1101.
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