Saginaw Township Community Schools is scheduled to receive $1.9 million in state appropriations to repair the Sherwood Pool, which has been used for community aquatics for over 35 years.
The Sherwood Pool, located at Sherwood Elementary School, has been closed since February of 2022, due to structural problems and a defunct dehumidification unit that has aged out of available parts. To prevent further damage from condensation within the structure, the pool was closed.
The Sherwood Pool has been used for daytime Aquatics Exercise for older adults, evening H2O Boot Camp for adults, Swim School for children being taught how to swim, and Lifeguard Training. The pool was open five days per week, from morning to evening. Every year, hundreds of participants use the pool and it provides quality-of-life for many of the Township’s older adults and swim lessons for our children. It is the only warm water pool (86 degrees) in the area, with easy access, which are major benefits for all participants.
After several months of assessments and meetings with construction personnel, architects, and building planners, an option was chosen to fix the structural integrity of the building (walls and roof) and fix the problem with inside humidity. The estimated construction project would cost an estimated $1,900,000. Since the pool is not used for school day student instruction, the Saginaw Township Community Schools cannot divert instructional general funds for the repairs. In an effort to raise the necessary funds, Community Education approached individuals, companies, businesses, and organizations with little success due to the size of the funding request.
State Representative Amos O’Neal graciously agreed to visit the pool, after a request was made for state funding. After seeing the pool and the details of the project, Representative O’Neal was very supportive and agreed to try to secure the necessary funds.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to sign the FY25 budget in a few weeks. A timeline for reopening the pool will be established once the funds are received.