As this entry was written on a very hot and humid July 10, it is fitting to write the final installment of Holyoke's deep water public swimming pools, the Chmura Pool.
In 1967, the state of Massachusetts embarked on plans to build several swimming pools and indoor hockey and ice skating rinks in Western Massachusetts. The construction and subsequent maintenance of the pool would be entirely funded by the state, and the pool would be open to all residents. Holyoke sought approval to transfer four acres of land at the top of Community Field from city ownership to the state to provide state-owned property to build the pool.
Holyoke was one of five localities in the area to gain approval for a pool site.
In October 1967, Holyoke was on the verge of losing out on this opportunity, as it had not yet provided the land it needed to construct the pool. On November 8, 1967, the Parks & Recreation Commission voted to transfer 1.65 acres of land on Anniversary Hill near Scott's Tower.
In mid-December 1967, the project went out for a rebid, as the plans for the pool's depth were changed from a low point of 18 inches to four feet. The deep end's twelve-foot depth was unchanged.
In January 1968, there was a plan to develop nine acres of Water Department land between the pool and Old Jarvis Ave. as a recreation area. This included installing picnic tables and barbecues.
In February 1968, the Holyoke legislative delegation, including Senate President Maurice A. Donahue, House Floor Majority Leader David M. Bartley, and Rep. Emmett J. Cauley, appeared before the Committee on Natural Resources to advocate naming the pool, the Steven T. Chmura Pool. This would honor the late Holyoke legislator for his efforts and service to Holyoke and his constituency for 17 years.
The pool construction contract was awarded to the Ciolek Construction Company of South Hadley in March 1968. Construction began on May 13, 1968. The projected completion date was October 15, 1968. Only two bids were submitted for the project. The project was completed on May 1, 1969.
Baldwin-Stewart Electric Company of Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded the contract to install electric lines to the pool area.
Discussions were held regarding allowing access to the pool from Old Jarvis Ave. The final decision was to restrict vehicle entry to Cherry Street.
On June 15, 1969, he pool was dedicated before an audience of 500, including Stephen T. Chmura's family members, the state representative and state senator, city officials, and area residents.
Two Sundays later, 881 people used the pool facility on a hot summer's day. In all, for the 1969 season, over 50,000 used the pool.
There were discussions held for several months during 1971 to turn over the entirety of the property known as Community Field to the state for the creation of a massive state park. This would include land from Cherry Street to the pool and the Scott's Tower area.
Plagued by regularly occurring acts of destructive vandalism, a night watchman was hired in July of 1974.
The pool was well attended in its early years. Swim lessons were provided as well as swimming competitions. Picnic tables and grills were installed in 1976 as an added feature.
On June 23, 1980, an accidental chlorine leak resulted in the hospitalization of twenty. In 1990, vandalism became more frequent and severe, resulting in the pool being shut down. In January 1991, vandals maliciously assaulted the pool, removing copper piping, destroying filtering equipment, bathroom fixtures, fencing, lockers, and the pool house. The remoteness of the pool site made security a challenge.
Additionally, it was determined that the pool was sinking, and water was leaking at a rate faster than replenishment. The estimated cost of restoring the pool and vandalized areas was $550,000.
The city sought state funds to restore the pool. State officials, citing funding limitations, indicated funds were available for only one of the state-run pools in the city. The Feldman Pool was chosen over the Chmura Pool. State Representative Evelyn Chesky reported in 1992 that the state planned to fill in the Chmura pool. In August 1993, the pool was reported as bulldozed and buried.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
No comments:
Post a Comment