ASHEVILLE – It’s official, again. The city announced Feb. 1 that the outdoor pool in West Asheville’s Malvern Hills Park will not open this summer.
There was a similar announcement in early summer 2022 after the pool’s annual inspection with Buncombe County Environmental Health identified a drain cover had come out of compliance with newly updated federal pool regulations. Less than a month later, there was a surprise reversal with a temporary solution found to carry them through the season, and again through last summer “using short-term fixes.”
But this time, Asheville staff have concluded the pool can no longer be repaired.
A 2015-2016 professional assessment of the pool concluded it “has seen its life use” and recommended “not to put more money in the current pool,” a Feb. 1 city news release said.
The nearly 90-year-old pool opened in June 1936.
“More recently, multiple contractors indicated there is a high probability that with any significant repairs or even general maintenance, additional issues with existing infrastructure integrity are likely to be found which would trigger even greater investments in order for the pool to meet current codes,” the release said.