MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — The Muskegon Heights Academy is diving into a new era.
"This is a awesome day, a lot went into this day," said Principal Eddis Jones.
The pool closed in 2012 due to financial issues, but plans to re-open the pool began more than a year ago.
"It was dried out, the equipment had sat there and had corrosion on it. So it took awhile to get it back operational," said Jones.
It cost around $60,000 to get the pool up and running again. The expected annual costs to keep it operational are around $80,000.
"We've worked with Muskegon Public Schools because they are the only other school in the county that has an operational pool. Forty thousand children and this is now the second school pool in our county," said Superintendent Rane Garcia.
Garcia says the new pool is critical because a number of students in her district don't know how to swim.
"Because there has been a lack of access to a pool for such a long time in the Muskegon County area as well as minorities, that has been an issue that gets in the way of people learning how to swim," said Garcia.
She says that will all change after the first of the year.
"Our high school and our middle school gym classes will start to have a weekly swim lesson every week of the semester for the rest of this year. And our elementary students will be coming over for six different swim lessons each. It's all very exciting," said Garcia.
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