Alyssa Trombetti 
Contributing Writer
[email protected]

The Murray-Calloway County pool will be closed to the public this summer due to insufficient funds for indispensable modifications and updates.  

Parks Director Ryan Yates said the pool reached the point of where simple fixes were not going to cut it for the 2021 summer season. 

“For years, Mike Sykes, parks and recreation aquatics director, has made modifications to see that the pool would open each summer,” Yates said. “Some of the biggest issues include the pool liner that is ripping apart, leaking pipes and the deck needs repairs to fill the gaps. Many of the issues Mike has been able to make work and has worked with the health department to ensure it was safe and fun. But we have finally hit that point where we can’t just continue to “Band-Aid” it up and some upgrades need to be made.”

Yates said that there are currently funds being taken for pool modifications, but the future is unknown.  

“To be honest, I’m not sure what the future holds,” Yates said. “I hope that one day we would be able to open the pool again. It will take a lot of upgrades and money to get there. We have a donation tab on the park website murrayparks.org where people can donate to the pool, programs and other facilities.” 

Along with raising the funds for opening the pool, a new challenge is presented to the communities children and parents.  

Rena Pivoras, mother of 13-year-old Liam and 10-year-old Eli, is just one of the 25,000 community members who has used the public pool to entertain her children over the summer.  

“I hate that it is closing,” Pivoras said. “It really was such a wonderful place for the kids to have some safe fun. The year before last, we even had a pool pass and planned to make it a summer tradition. We are really going to miss that.” 

Pivoras said when the pool was open, she would take her children at least two to three times a week.  

With the closure of the pool, Pivoras is looking to fill that time slot with new activities. 

“We always do the summer reading program at the Calloway County Public Library,” Pivoras said. “Hopefully, we will find some more affordable activities to replace the pool.”  

Pivoras said she has considered going to a park in a surrounding city.

“We will probably head to Mike Miller Park in Draffenville more often,” Pivoras said. “They have a free splash pad, a nice pond to fish in and ducks to feed.” 

In addition to visiting surrounding community facilities, Pivoras is also considering a visit to the Elk and Bison Prairie and a tour of the 1850s working farm homestead at Land Between the Lakes. 

Yates said while the pool is closed the park still has activities to offer to the community children. 

“We will still open our spray park this summer which is set to open May 17,” Yates said. “We also offer baseball, softball and t-ball for kids to enjoy. Youth soccer will also take place down at Bee Creek as well. We are working on offering some other programs such as Tae Kwon Doe and other events.” 

A list of family-friendly activities and events offered in Murray throughout the year can be found in the 2021 Gateway Magazine, which is published by The Murray State News.