Community Swimming Pools—Make Friends While You Cool Down

Looking for a way to cool down this summer, but don't want to plunk down upwards of $30,000 to have a inground swimming pool installed in your backyard? Think about joining one of the community pools in our area. 

Although a community pool doesn't give you much in the way of privacy, members say it makes up for it in other ways. One of the main benefits, aside from cost, is that members of community pools pay someone else to worry about the maintenance.

However, it seems that the top reason to join a community pool is the commaraderie.

"It's a great place to congregate. I like that we are all together," Stacie Moltz of Edgewater said. "It's a great place to meet people in the neighborhood."

Moltz said that her son was in karate class with a girl from their neighborhood who attended private school. She didn't know that the girl lived in their community until seeing them at the pool one day in the summer.

"It's nice, even as adults, we meet people that we didn't know were neighbors," Moltz said.

Many of the neighborhoods in Edgewater and Davidsonville include a pool membership in the community association fee. Pools like Harbor Hills in Davidsonville and South River Colony in Edgewater are an automatic buy-in for living in the neighborhood.

Other pools allow buy-in memberships. Southdown Pool in Edgewater is not affiliated with any homeowner association. The pool was built in the 1970s on land donated by generous neighbors in the community. It is run by volunteers.

There are a number of pools in the Crofton and Severna Park area that also allow members to buy-in. For a list of these pools and contact information, visit here.

These "membership" community pools typically require a bond buy-in that makes you a cooperative owner of the pool. Expenses are shared and annual fees are collected to pay for the lifeguards and pool maintenance. When your family terminates the membership, the bond is usually refunded. 

According to Tiffany Suite, the secretary for Southdown Pool, the current bond is $600 and the annual membership dues are $450, however the bond can be paid in three annual payments.

Swim Teams

Another big reason for joining a community pool is the ability to join a local swim team. Swim clubs in Maryland are a big deal. For example, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Baltimore is where Olympic Gold medalist Michael Phelps got his  training. Locally, other clubs train swimmers for recreational meets.

Jody Vallario has two children who participate in the Southdown Sharks swim team in Edgewater. She said that she likes that swim team is both an individual and a team sport.

"You see the older kids coaching and mentoring and supporting the younger ones, and you see the younger ones looking up to these older kids.  It is like a second family," Vallario said.

She added that because has a swim team, the community pool swim team has been a great launchpad for the children who would like to go on to compete at meets at the high school level as teens.

Beth Ann Dye, of Edgewater, said, "these kids are swimming six days a week for at least an hour—and then maybe once in the evening. Even though it is just for fun, it turns these young people into strong swimmers."

For most of the swim teams in the area, there are no try-outs. Swimmers are asked to show up regularly for practice and parents are asked to assist in running the meets, either by working the concession stand or acting as judges or scorekeepers.

"It is the kindest atletic association that my son has ever been a part of. Although it is competitive, there is more comarader than he’s ever had before," Dye said.

Click here for a list of Maryland swim clubs.

Local pools in south county:

• Southdown Swim Club, Edgewater, is not affiliated with a neighborhood homeowner's association, allows outside members. Swimmers on the swim team must join the pool.
• Eagles Passage, Davidsonville, is just for homeowners in the community. 
• Harbor Hills, Davidsonville, is just for homeowners, but allows swim team members from outside. See Davidsonville Athletic Association for swim team information.
• Gingerville, Edgewater, just for homeowners in the Gingerville and Gingerville Woods communities.
• South River Colony, Edgewater, has a couple of pools, but they are only for use by homeowners in any of the South River Colony communities (single family homes, town houses, etc). SRC has a swim team that allows members from outside of the community.
• Golf Club at South River pool is currently under construction. When it opens, it will be exclusively for paying members of the private club. 
• West River Retreat, West River, is a private Methodist Day Camp that allows open swim on Sunday afternoons for a small per-visit fee. 
• Camp Letts, Edgewater, is a private pool operated by the YMCA. They allow the Mayo Swim Club swim team to practice there (in the evening) in the summer. There are no separate memberships available. 
• Herrington Harbour South, Rose Haven, allows outside memberships.
• River Oaks, Edgewater, only for condominium association members.
• Old South Country Club, Lothian, pool is for country club members and guests only. 
• Double Tree Hotel, Annapolis (off of Riva Road), allows the public to join for a fee and use the pool in the summer.
• Arundel Olympic Swim Center, Annapolis, is an indoor swim facility that is open year-round. Check the website for open swim hours. Pay by the visit (discounts available).