Pool Construction Finishes This Week — But It Won't Open Until 2017

HAMILTON, MA — The good news is that the long-awaited Veterans Memorial Pool will wrap up construction this week. The bad news? It won't actually open for swimmers until 2017.

The new pool at Patton Park had previously been expected to open this summer, and the Town of Hamilton even put out a hiring bulletin for lifeguards and other pool staff. The most recent completion date given was the first week of August, contingent upon good weather, a Hamilton-Wenham Recreation Department notice said.

But work dragged on, summer is all but over (not that you could tell by the daytime temperatures), and those new hires aren't yet on board.

“It really came down to a pretty significant staffing shortage,” Hamilton-Wenham Recreation Director Sean Timmons said in a post on the Hamilton town blog Tuesday.

Construction is now scheduled to wrap up this Friday, Aug. 26, according to Timmons, but due to those staffing shortages, the pool will not open to swimmers until summer of 2017.

In a letter Tuesday, Hamilton-Wenham Recreation elaborated:

"Due to timing, some weather related site constraints, and pretty significant staffing limitations wehave made the difficult decision to not open the pool for public swimming this Summer. Although this is disappointing news, we are excited to start the scheduling and programming process for next year and look forward to the many great years to come at the new facility."

Anyone who wants to see the new pool prior to its official open can do so at an open house, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1 from 4-7 p.m. You can also share your thoughts on the process by taking a survey here.

>> Image via Town of Hamilton