At long last, Globe has a public swimming pool again.

At noon last Friday, the Globe Community Center Pool welcomed its first swimmers in almost 10 years. Closed since 2014 due to leakage issues, the new-look pool reopened Friday after extensive rehabilitation work that started in January 2022. What’s more, daily admission will be free during its first year of operation thanks to a City Council resolution waiving daily user pass fees until May 1, 2024.

On opening day, families turned out for the long-awaited occasion, enjoying the water during a five-hour open swim. On Saturday morning the pool hosted the CCYS Piranha Swim Team, which held its first meet at the improved facility; the afternoon saw another, four-hour, open swim. During its first month of operation, what the City terms the “ramp-up period,” the pool will be open from noon to 5 p.m., seven days a week.

The pool’s return was made possible by a partnership between the City of Globe and Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, by the funding contributions of several other community partners and by the work of Structural Preservation Systems, the lead contractor on the renovation.

New features at the pool include a zero entry area, a children’s water slide and large water slide, a splash pad, a redesigned entrance, shade areas and a competition bulkhead for swim teams. Future plans for the pool include a concession stand.