The YWCA of Northwest Indiana in Gary made a splash Wednesday as it marked the long-awaited reopening of its pool with an inaugural lap by member Lanail Berry and a red ribbon cutting.
After 24 years of operation, YWCA executive director Caren Jones said the pool required major infrastructure improvements, but gaining the money was a challenge for the urban non-profit.
On Wednesday, the pool glittered as dozens of people glimpsed the new lighting, painted walls, new decking and blue liner. Patrons also saw new lockers and restrooms.
What they couldn’t see was the critical infrastructure of pumps, dehumidification system, plumbing, electrical and other equipment that replaced the aging pool’s network.
“This place rejuvenates the body and the soul,” Jones told the crowd.
Before Wednesday’s ribbon cutting, Jones thanked members for their patience as work stretched for more than a year as the YWCA struggled to secure funding for the costly project.
“Thanks to the generosity of donors, grants and support from the City of Gary, we are back in operation. We thought that holding the celebration on Juneteenth would make the occasion all the more significant,” Jones said.
The pool is the lone indoor public pool in the city. The swim team from the West Side Leadership Academy used it for practices and the YWCA offers swim lessons and regular water aerobics classes as well as recreational swimming.
Learning to swim is a skill often missing in the Black community, said YWCA board vice president LaTanya Woodson.
According to a recent study by the Y’s USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 64% of African American children cannot swim and are more likely to drown than their white counterparts.
Jones said swimming lessons are now resuming for children in its summer camp.
“The lack of public pools in our city directly impacts our children’s inability to swim,” said Jones. “That’s the main reason we were eager to get the pool open as soon as possible and happy to provide this critical life skill to the loyal community we serve.”
The pool’s renovation was made possible from a $1.5 million grant from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act federal funding and project oversight from Eric Pack whose time was donated by his employer, Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, in Gary.
Gary City Council President Tai Adkins said she grew up in the YWCA and called it a community hub. “It’s a passion of mine,” she said.
Other contributors to the project included Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana President Matt Schuffert, Powers & Sons Construction Inc.’s owners Mamon and Cynthia Powers, and Chareice White, CEO of the ECIER Foundation (Educate Create Innovate Entrepreneur Relationships).
The city will soon gain a new indoor pool as construction is expected to begin next year on the $30 million Tolleston Opportunity Campus that includes a new YMCA at 2700 W. 19th Ave.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
