a day ago
Residents call for reopening of CC Augustus Pool
TUPELO — Park Hill residents, elected officials and others are pushing for the city of Tupelo to either upgrade or outright replace the popular but currently shuttered C.C. Augustus Pool.
Built around 60 years ago, the public pool sits in the heart of Ward 4's Park Hill neighborhood. After two evaluations and a determination that it needed significant repairs, the city announced earlier this month the pool would not open this summer.
For Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis, the pool's closure is a blow to the community.
'(The pool) was very special to us," Davis said. "The people in our community feel it is a necessity.'
Davis, who said she wants to see the pool completely replaced at the C.C. Augustus Center, is not alone in feeling that it needs to be prioritized.
After receiving multiple calls regarding the pool's closure, Davis and Bridgett 'Miss Bam' Shelly, president of the Park Hill Neighborhood Association, called a neighborhood meeting on the topic.
During the meeting, Shelly and Davis spoke with neighborhood residents and Tupelo Parks and Recreation Director Alex Farned about the situation. While some solutions were proffered, the main thrust, Shelly said, is that residents want their community pool back.
'(The closure) was a big disappointment because we had plans for the children to swim,' Shelly said, adding the community had to cancel multiple events scheduled at the pool this summer. 'Children look forward to it (opening) because it is the only one where they can get there without transportation.'
Farned said the previous meeting won't be the last about the pool, adding that discussion on what to do with the pool will begin with this budget session for the next fiscal year, which is already underway. He said more information will be available to the public as the details get settled.
Shelly noted that the pool would have opened on June 3, the day of the municipal general election. While working the polls that day at the C.C. Augustus Center precinct, she said she had to turn away multiple children who wanted to swim.
Davis and Shelly also talked about its history as a place for Black children to swim safely. Davis noted that before the pool was built, her friends and family swam in creeks in town.
'It's sentimental to me. It's been in our neighborhood since I was a child,' Shelly said. 'Residents are not going to be quiet about them closing the pool.'
