Renovation of the Dinkins Pool, which has been closed since 2013, is nearing completion.

The pool, which is on the corner of Dexter Avenue and Division Street, is slated for an approximate reopening of June 15, although more work still needs to be done before it’s available for swimming.  It was originally closed due to health and safety concerns regarding its condition.

Ward 8 councilman Michael Johnson, whose ward includes the pool, said over $50,000 has been spent on remodeling the pool and getting it ready to be reopened.

Among the changes include the pool’s surface being redone, the locker rooms being repainted and new steel doors to keep out vandals, Johnson said. Other changes include new pumps and fixing cracked concrete to make it safe for children to walk around.

“They are chipping away and hopefully next week it will be completed, but we still have other things that need to be done,” Johnson said.

Among the items that still need to be finished is making sure the fence is secure, which may entail adding a barbed wire fence across the top, ensuring the lights are working properly and potentially adding some type of alarm system, Johnson said.

A lot of the money used in the repairs has come from oil lease funding from council members. Volunteers from the Freedom Foundation and the Edmundite Missions have also helped out, Johnson said.

“They are totally renovating the pool,” said Lebo Jones, interim director of the Selma Parks and Recreation Department. “Hopefully, we will have a state of the art swimming pool here in the next couple of weeks or so.”

Johnson said he does not want the pool to open until everything is completed and the area is completely secure. He’s hopeful all work is completed in the next several weeks.

Jones said the pool is important for Selma because it provides youth with something to do during the summer.

“It’s not just for Ward 8, it’s for the whole city to enjoy,” Jones said. “Just because you don’t live in Ward 8 doesn’t mean you can’t use it, so it’s a great thing for the kids to do in the summer. It’s fun for the whole family.”

Whenever the pool does open, the recreation department lists its hours on Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-6 p.m. It cost 50 cents for each person per session in the pool.

Swim lessons will also be taught at the pool by American Red Cross water safety instructors. The free lessons are slated to be taught from June 17-July 31. Registration will be held at Dinkins Pool from June 17-19 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The lessons are for those 3-years-old and up.

For more information on the lessons, contact the Selma Recreation Department at 874-2140.