Stratford Opens Therapeutic Swimming Pool To The Public

STRATFORD, CT — In a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning, Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick officially reopened the therapeutic swimming pool at the former Ella Grasso Center at 300 Armory Road as a town facility. The swimming pool, which was leased to the town from the State Department of Disability Services, will now be open to residents of Stratford who can take advantage of its unique attributes.

“This swimming pool is an important facility with special access for the disabled that many residents in our community have come to rely on,” Hoydick said in a statement. “When the state decided to close down operation of the Grasso Center as a facility for the developmentally disabled in 2016, it was a concern because this pool is the only pool of its kind in the region. It is designed especially to accommodate swimmers who are severely disabled. The pool was open to non-residents of the Grasso Center who had significant challenges, and they suddenly had nowhere else to go. I thank State Senator Kevin Kelly and Representatives Ben McGorty and Joe Gresko who have been involved in this effort from the beginning. I am pleased that today we are reopening this pool, and I look forward to its continued service to the residents of Stratford going forward.”

On Wednesdays and Fridays there will be three therapeutic swims scheduled: 9:30 a.m. – 10:20 a.m., 10:30 a.m. -11:20 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Anyone wishing to use the pool must provide proof of Stratford residency, as well as a doctor’s note stating they have no medical condition that would render them unable to use a 90-degree pool.

Swimmers must submit a signed Participant Waiver Form and obtain a $10 for a pass which is good for access to the Ella Grasso Pool ten times. Swimmers may attend only one swim per day.

Those who want further information concerning use of the pool can contact the Town of Stratford’s Recreation Department at 203-385-4052.

The town is currently in the process of obtaining other property and buildings on the Grasso Center property through conveyance from the state to the town for use as parking, and as senior and veteran housing, according to officials.

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Contributed photo and press release