Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool Closing for Yearly Maintenance

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will close the Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool, 3160 Midlothian Turnpike, at normal closing hours on Thursday, September 3, 2015. The maintenance will begin on Friday, September 4, 2015 and the facility is expected to reopen at the end of the month.

Work will include the painting of the building, repairing the pool liner, and general maintenance work.

Swansboro aquatic programs will be transferred to the Bellemeade Indoor Swimming Pool, 1800 Lynhaven Avenue, with the exception of the Richmond Racers Swim Team.

For more information, please call (804) 646-5733.

Swansboro Indoor Pool Reopens

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is pleased to reopen the Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool, located at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike. The pool will reopen on Monday, March 30 at 8 a.m. The indoor aquatic facility was closed in August of 2014 for comprehensive improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning units.

“These upgrades were necessary for the continued use of the facility by the general public, Richmond Public Schools, and the departments swim teams,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

Program offerings include: Open Swim for All Ages (Monday through Friday 3-4 p.m. and 7:45 – 8:30 p.m.), Aquacise for Seniors (Monday through Thursday 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.), and Adult Aerobics (Monday and Wednesday 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

For more information, please call (804) 646-5733 or (804) 646-8088.

Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool to Be Renovated

 

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is closing the Swansboro Indoor Swimming Pool, at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike, for renovation. The extensive facility renovations will begin on Monday, August 4, 2014 and the facility is expected to reopen in December 2014.

The facility renovation will consist of comprehensive upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units. Other improvements will include interior painting, new wiring, piping, a pool dehumidification unit and a domestic watering system.

Swansboro aquatic programs will be transferred to the Bellemeade Indoor Swimming Pool, 1800 Lynhaven Avenue, with the exception of the Richmond Racers Swim Team. Relocation for the swim team will be made at a later date.

For more information, please call (804) 646-5733.

Swansboro Pool Closed for Repairs

The department has temporarily closed its Swansboro indoor swimming pool to allow for the replacement of a malfunctioning water heater. Beginning Tuesday, March 13, 2012, all programs that were offered at the Swansboro Pool will be held at the Calhoun indoor swimming pool, located at 436 Calhoun St., until further notice.  

     In addition, some scheduling changes have been made to accommodate the new location. The new schedule is as follows:
            Senior Water Aerobics: 9 to 10 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Richmond Racers Swim Team Practice: 4 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays

Swim Lessons: 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays                               

Adult Water Aerobics: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

Open/Lap Swim: 6:30 to 8:30p.m. Fridays Only

            Extended Hours for Open /Lap Swim:  7:45 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

                                                                        8 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays

     Anyone with questions regarding the programs or schedule should call Alethea Tyler at (804)  646-1174.

Holiday Hours and Events

The department, its community centers and its cultural arts and community center at Pine Camp will be closed Friday, December 23; Monday, December 26; and Monday, January 2 for the holidays. All parks will remain open as usual from sunrise to sunset.

     The department’s Before and After School program is closed during Richmond Public School’s winter break and will resume when schools re-open on January 3, 2012. The programs provide children with a safe place before and after school at 20 Richmond elementary schools. In addition, children in the After School Program are introduced to cultural arts and sports. Registration is just $50 and decreases for each additional child per family. Scholarships are available so that no child is excluded from the program. For more information or to register, call 646-6034.

      The First Tee of Richmond will be closed Thursday, December 22, through Sunday, January 1, and will re-open on Monday, January 2. The golf practice facility is conveniently located downtown at 400 West School Street off of Brook Road just blocks from Belvedere and Broad. It includes a heated driving range, putting green, chipping green with sand traps, six-hole par-three course, and a clubhouse. Regular hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call 646-4074.

     The department’s indoor Swansboro swimming pool will be closed Friday, December 23 through Monday, December 26, and on Monday, January 2. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, Thursday, December 22, and Tuesday, December 27 through Friday, December 30. 

      The department will hold a free Winter Solstice Celebration on Belle Isle on Thursday, December 22, at 4:30 p.m. at the Tredegar Street entrance. Join the James River Park staff and the Friends of James River Park around the bonfire to welcome the start of the winter season. For more information, call 646-8911.

    
The Richmond Community Nativity Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 23, at the Carillon, located at 1300 Blanton Avenue in Byrd Park. This live outdoor presentation is a Richmond tradition and was originally narrated by Douglas Southhall Freeman. It includes a cast and choir of approximately 200, some who have participated in the pageant for 30, 40 or 50 years or more. The pageant is produced by the non-profit Richmond Community Nativity Pageant organization with assistance from the department. It is a rain or shine event. For more information, call Paige Quilter at 804-358-8481.

     The department will hold Free Movies on Ice at 7 p.m. for those enjoying ice skating at RVA On Ice Saturday, December 24, Sunday, December 25, and Saturday, December 31. The 8,400 square-foot outdoor skating rink is located adjacent to Richmond CenterStage between Sixth and Seventh streets on East Broad. The movies scheduled are as follows:

            December 24 – “Shrek the Halls”

December 25 – “White Christmas”

December 31 – “It s a Wonderful Life”

For more information about the department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, call 646-5733. 

Children Encouraged to Join Guinness World Record Attempt

City children between the ages of one and 14 are invited to join the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and other children at sites around the world to help set a Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™.
All children need to do for a chance at becoming a world record holder is come to the department’s Swansboro Pool at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, and participate in the swimming lesson which will take place at 11 a.m. (3 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) simultaneously around the world. The Swansboro Pool is an indoor pool located at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike.
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is participating in the global event to help spread the message that swimming lessons can save lives. Drowning is the second largest cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14. In addition, research shows that if children don’t learn to swim before the third grade, it is likely that they never will.
“The importance of learning to swim is a message that is critical to us,” said Richmond’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Dr. Norman C. Merrifield. “With the James River serving as a major attraction in Richmond and the department operating 10 swimming pools, it’s extremely important to us that we teach children how to swim as well as provide lessons in water safety.”
Richmond’s fire chief concurs. “Our water rescue teams are involved in numerous rescues every year,” said Chief Robert A. Creecy. “I would encourage every parent to make sure that their children learn to swim and know about water safety.”
The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ is an event designed by a coalition of the nation’s leading water safety and training organizations to build awareness for and draw attention to the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning. The inaugural event held in 2010 established the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever and included almost 4,000 participants in 34 states, five countries and three continents. Tragically, the threat of childhood drowning is even greater around the globe.
Thousands worldwide will be participating simultaneously this year in the same 45-minute swimming lesson in the attempt to set a new Guinness World Record. The lesson, developed by a team of leading water safety and swim instruction professionals, will be an easy-to-follow beginner lesson to allow for the broadest participation possible.
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will follow up by offering two “Learn to Swim” camps for children this summer. In addition, the department provides swimming lessons year-round on Tuesday and Thursday nights at its indoor Swansboro Pool. For more information or to register for the summer camps, call 646-1126 or 646-1441. To register for lessons at the Swansboro Pool, call 646-8088.
To learn more about the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™, visit www.wlsl.org. To learn more about the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities aquatics programs, visit www.RichmondGov.com/parks.