Previous plans to build a leisure pool with a lazy river at the Broward Pool may have been canceled, but the renovated pool is now open for summer.
The UF Department of Housing and Residence Education financed the renovations with $29,650 in operational funds generated by dormitory rent.
The renovations began on March 19 and kept the pool closed until Monday. The pool is now open during its normal summer hours, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The department decided to remove Broward Pool’s old plaster finish because of deterioration.
“The plaster finish had worked its way loose from the concrete,” said Mark Hill, associate director of Housing for Facilities Management.
The last renovations made to the pool were in 2003.
Now, the pool’s new smooth, pebble finish is accompanied by several safety-based renovations.
The pool’s primary drain covers were replaced, additional depth markers were installed and the ladder guards were replaced. After repairs, the pool was chemically balanced, cleaned and vacuumed.
Eight new chairs were also added to the facility.
The department hired the private company White Sands Pool Plastering to conduct the renovations.
Hill said in the past five years, renovations have also been made at the Tanglewood Village pool.
A previous plan for more extensive renovations included a drop slide, waterfalls and a simulated surfing attraction at the Broward Pool, but were not pursued because of the cost of the project.
Twenty-two-year-old Joey Radice, Aquatics Program Assistant at the Department of Recreational Sports, said developments to the facility help the university’s pools keep up with improvements other recreational facilities have received in recent years.
“It’s good they’re conscious of keeping the facilities up-to-date and making sure there were no leaks or chemical imbalances,” he said about the housing department.
Radice said having the renovations done by summer will contribute to a better college experience for incoming freshmen in nearby dorms.
“The students are usually freshmen and sophomores who haven’t been around to notice differences,” he said.
