Glasgow eyes new city pool, additions to American Legion Park

GLASGOW, Ky. (WBKO) – Plans are underway in Glasgow to revamp the city-owned pool and much of American Legion Park along Happy Valley Road.

The Glasgow Parks and Recreation published its master plan about five years ago toward the end of former Mayor Dick Doty’s term. The plan was established with an outlook for the next 10 to 15 years, said Parks and Recreation Director Eddie Furlong.

A section of that master plan includes renovations to the city pool, also known as the city aquatics center.

“We are back with what I would say full steam ahead with doing a new aquatics center, a new city pool. For clarification, we are not designing a water park. We do not want part of a water park. We just want a nice city pool,” said Furlong.

View the master plan drawings here.

Furlong said the pandemic halted much of the work included in the master plan. Former Mayor Harold Armstrong’s administration placed the pool work on the back burner, Furlong said, until last year near the end of his term.

Recent discussions between the city government and its parks and recreation staff have reawakened thoughts about the pool’s future.

Much of the work to be done now will include funding allocations from the city government and eventual construction.

“There is funding that has been allocated, at least in the initial budget process,” Furlong said.

The public pool was first opened in 1976 and has maintained most of its original parts. Changes over the years have been limited to increasing spacing at the site and piping renovations among other minor changes.

A part of the greater discussion has also lent to a reimagined American Legion Park, which is one of five parks maintained by the city of Glasgow. A copy of the updated master plan shows the addition of six new amenities, including a skate spot, a series of pickleball courts, and an expanded aquatics center.

Furlong said the plan calls for the removal of the current softball field at American Legion Park since Glasgow High School’s softball team took up residence behind their school nearly four years ago.

The new plans eye the pool and accompanying amenities like a splash pad and water slides toward the back of the park and away from Happy Valley Road. The area where the current pool is located will feature a dog park and pickleball courts among other additions.

“It’ll hopefully make the congestion that usually takes place there a little bit easier,” Furlong said.

In the meantime, Furlong said the city will continue to operate its city pool as the community knows it. Work could begin on the reimagined park as soon as this fall with demolition mostly taking up the bulk of that work.

If the city decides to fully invest in the approach idealized in the master plan, Furlong said parkgoers and pool patrons could expect to see the new amenities as soon as 2025.