Cranston's Budlong Pool Reopening With Renovations In 2024: Mayor Ken Hopkins

CRANSTON, RI — The Budlong Community Pool in Cranston has been closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the 85-year-old pool will reopen in 2024 with renovations, Mayor Ken Hopkins said in a news conference Monday.

"Over the course of the last eight decades, this pool has seen many good years," Hopkins said. "However, there's also been many years with physical and mechanical challenges to open it annually for the community to enjoy. No public structure last forever."

Hopkins said pool's construction will be a "multi-phase redevelopment." The current pool is 232 feet-long and 75 feet-wide. Phase one of the plan will be making the pool a third of its size and making it handicapped accessible.

Hopkins said the first phase of the project will cost $3.5 million, with $350,000 coming from American Rescue Plan Act funds and $750,000 from congressional grants. The rest will come from money in the city budget, which was approved by the city's planning commission, though is still pending approval from the Cranston City Council and finance committee.

"Today, this facility stands in need of a major overhaul, not just another band-aid approach, while we spend good money to keep it open for a short period of time," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said other phases of the pool's redevelopment will come when funds became available. New amenities in those phases could include a splash pad, a pickleball court or other improvements.

With the pool not reopening this summer, Hopkins said the city is coordinating bus trips for children to beaches and the local YMCA.