By Ingrid Schnader
A group of Homewood residents joined the Homewood mayor, City Council and Park Board members May 3 in cutting the ribbon on the new Patriot Park pool.
The pool features a zero-entry shallow end, a splash pad, a slide and lap lanes. The splash pad is open to the public now, and the full pool will be open May 18.
During the ribbon-cutting, Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer spoke about the history of the property.
“A lot of us were back on (the) council years ago, and we had one night that was pretty heated because developers wanted to put apartments here,” he said. “That’s what a lot of people thought was good at the time.”
The council voted against the development that night, but the property remained vacant for a while. In 2008, with the help of the council, McBrayer started making plans for the park. He listened to residents to decide what to do with the land.
In addition to the new pool, Patriot Park has a walking path, restroom facilities and a playground.
“It’s another great day for the city of Homewood,” McBrayer said at the ribbon-cutting, “and in particular, West Homewood.”
