County breaks ground on public pool and aquatics center in Hollywood
The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) broke ground on a pool construction project in Hollywood on Wednesday, Aug. 29. The complex will be called the West County Aquatic Center and will be located near the new Hollywood Town Center off Highway 165.
The pool will be named in honor of Hollywood teenager Genesis Holmes, who drowned 2014. The $3 million pool is expected to open in spring of 2019, with funding provided by CCPRC. The agency’s nonprofit arm, the Parklands Foundation, will be raising funds for programming at the site through its Genesis Project.
The Genesis Pool will have a capacity of 128 people, and will serve an estimated 10,000 people each season in the Hollywood/Baptist Hill area and surrounding communities. It is a 25-yard-long outdoor pool, with areas at a depth of three to four feet, and featuring six to eight lanes for lap swimming. Lifeguards will be on duty at the pool. Programming will include swimming lessons and summer camps.
The West County Aquatic Center will offer the first public pool in the Hollywood area. According to a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger.
“Drowning is a real problem in the rural communities of Charleston County, and access to public pools in these areas is mostly nonexistent,” said CCPRC Executive Director David Bennett. “Bringing swimming instruction directly to these areas is a big step towards preventing drowning. The town of Hollywood is the perfect location to build our first pool, and we are thrilled to soon be able to offer these residents the opportunity to learn to swim.”
This will be the first public pool operated by CCPRC; however, the agency does own and operate three lifeguarded waterparks and three ocean access parks throughout the county. CCPRC also currently operates a portable pool, which rotates between camps in rural areas throughout the summer for swimming instruction for an estimated 300 youth campers.
