Thursday, June 5, the City of Portland ceremoniously broke ground on the renovation of its Kiwanis Community Pool. 

The renovation follows an $11 million allocation from the City of Portland and the fundraising of $1 million by the Portland Parks Conservancy. The capacity of the new facility will be four times larger than Kiwanis’s current 100-person capacity and include locker rooms, water slides, a leisure pool, a lap pool, a splash pad, and more. 

At 165 Douglass Street, the site of the pool, Mayor Mark Dion and project leaders shared remarks on the renovations. 

“I’m proud to see this project being realized and I look forward to being here next summer and seeing all those kids having a good time,” said Dion. In his speech, Dion emphasized the importance of accessibility for minority communities in Portland.

Ethan Hipple, Director of Parks, Recreation & Facilities said, “This pool literally has something for everybody… we’re really excited about that.” 

Attendants of the ceremony included the Pool Campaign cabinet, Conservancy board, City staff, campaign donors, and Portland locals.  

Recent summers saw closures and repairs to the 1961 facility, which is one of Portland’s three community pools. 

Campaign Cabinet member Micky Bondo said, “The importance of community pools is about values and relationship building… Different communities are coming together to enjoy, to learn and create a space to connect and respect each other.” 

The closures and lack of an updated facility have brought concerns, specifically over the accessibility to water safety in the city. 

“The ability to swim and be water safe should not be a privilege for those who can afford it. We need to strive towards a water-safe community, where everyone, adults and children, have access to the opportunity to learn to swim,” said Brooke Teller of Maine Community Swimming. 

“Kiwanis is an essential resource for the City’s aquatics program,” according to the Portland Parks Conservancy. Hosted at the facility are open swim, swim lessons, water aerobics, summer camps, and swim team practices. 

The project aims for completion by June 2026, with construction already underway.