The Fieldale Heritage Center is set to celebrate the opening of the pools at the Fieldale Recreation Center for the 2024 summer season at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the Woodman Life Outreach Foundation to present a donation to Fieldale Heritage Inc. at 9:30 a.m.
The presentation will be for the Fieldale Recreation Center and Pools, and will be rescheduled in case of rain.
In advance of the opening, volunteers gathered in Fieldale a couple of weeks ago to help ready the facility for the season. Several volunteers from local high schools and the surrounding area pitched in to help with a large cleanup effort. This included readying the pools, tidying the fields, and cleaning up the historic Fieldale Community Center for its upcoming renovation.
The community center has been closed and in need of repairs for quite some time. Volunteers worked to clear out old furniture to prep the building for work.
“The goal is to get all of this stuff out of here,” said Michael Jarrett. The center is going to begin looking for contractors once the building is emptied and the pool opens for the season.
“We got a $1.5 million dollar grant that’s going to kick in,” he said. Grants are also being considered to update the pools, but none have been confirmed.
“The gym floor is one of the big things that we are going to have to renovate,” said Jarrett. The community center bathrooms will also need to undergo renovations to meet handicap standards and be more accommodating. Many of the office areas will also receive a refresher.
There is no timetable set for when the center will be finished, but it’s expected to take more than a year’s time.
Volunteers were happy to help with efforts around the center.
“Let’s keep this thing alive. It’s a good cause,” said Jamie DeMoss. She said it was a good Saturday to do things, and she liked that Fieldale had an organized event going on.
At the pool, volunteers worked to clean the water and lounge chairs. Grass across the street was also being mowed, and the basketball courts were clean. The pools have already seen a huge outcry of support, with most of the facility’s pool parts slots being booked ahead of the summer season.
Jarrett acknowledged that a lot of work was done in a single day and was grateful for the volunteers. “We’ve gotten a lot done,” he said, and added that 15 volunteers showed up to help with the work, including several students earning community hours for school.
This year, the pool opens on May 25. Lifeguards and volunteers for the snack bar adjacent to the pools are needed. Those interested in helping can call (276) 201-9913 or (276) 340-7226. Information about the pool’s hours and upcoming events can be found on the center’s Facebook page.
