The City of Socorro pool is almost ready for swimmers after a two-year closure.
Cathy Cook | El Defensor Chieftain photos

Swimming will be free at the freshly renovated Socorro city pool all summer.

“The kids haven’t had nothing, so the mayor said let them have free swim­ming,” said General Services Director Lloyd Martinez.

The pool has been closed for two years due to the pandemic and is set to reopen June 14.

The city has invested $220,000 in renovating and upgrading the pool. Of those funds, $100,000 came from federal COVID relief money while the remainder came out of the city’s general fund.

New lifeguard stations.

After three months of renovations, the two bath­rooms have been remod­eled, with new tile, redone showers and stalls, fresh paint, touch-free sinks and towel dispensers, and more energy-efficient LED lights. The floors have been rebuffed.

The office had to be redone, as someone was illegally living in the space and damaged the walls. It has new carpet, fresh paint, a rebuilt wall, a new HVAC unit and more secure doors.

The city is spending $5,000 to upgrade security at the pool, which will include cameras. The pool is a popular spot for vandalism, according to Division Director Joe Melendrez.

The pool deck has also been recoated for $34,000, and there are new seats for lifeguards.

“A lot of people have been coming by now that we’ve been here: ‘Is the pool opening? Is the pool opening?’” said Melendrez.

After the pool upgrades are completed, the city will start remodeling bathrooms for the baseball fields, a project that will cost $20,000 at most, said Martinez.

The city will also spend close to $50,000 to resur­face the tennis courts and dedicate a whole court to pickle ball. That project begins in July.

The Finley Gym remodel is in its starting phases, said Martinez, but it should open in October and be available for basketball in the winter.

Cathy Cook | El Defensor Chieftain Editor