‘A blessing’: Eatonville community pool to reopen after nearly a decade

EATONVILLE, Fla. — The Eatonville pool was a staple in the community, but after nearly a decade of no maintenance due to the lack of budget, the pool is set to open again.

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Community members said it was a cultural hub decades ago and that same spirit is needed back now.

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Valerie Chambers remembers her childhood at the Eatonville pool vividly. Daily community pool parties, swimming lessons, and bonding.

“I want to go back to those days,” Chambers said. “I know I can’t, but I wish that pool was still open. Because a lot of the kids don’t get to experience that.”

Now the space once filled with laughter is silent.

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“They don’t have a pool: they don’t have the basketball courts, they don’t have the tennis courts,” Chambers said. “They don’t have the gym anymore. So okay, so what are the kids doing now?”

Channel 9 learned that Sanford-based company All Seasons Pools agreed to get the cracks filled, tiles sealed and get the pool up and running again.

The town was looking at paying $120,000 to get it restored.

With All Seasons Pools handling the project, the town is only responsible for the bathrooms and fencing.

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“It may cost us $15,000 If that,” said Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner. “That’s a big difference. Merry Christmas to us.”

“A blessing,” Chambers said.

I met with Mayor Angie Gardner about how the town would cover maintaining the pool once it’s restored.

“Without maintenance, it’ll go right back into the same condition it was before,” Gardner said.

She said the town is currently working on implementing impact fees but in the meantime, the fees for businesses to rent the pool will cover the bill.

“That’s going to add so much value back into the community,” Chambers said.

The project is officially expected to start in January with the goal of having the pool up and running by May.

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