The City of Asheville will host a community open house on September 23 to present the design for a new swimming pool at Malvern Hills Park in West Asheville. The event will take place at West Asheville Park, located at 198 Vermont Ave., from 5-7 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend and provide feedback on the proposed design, which also includes plans to renovate the park’s original 1935 bathhouse.
The project is funded by a general obligation bond package that was approved by Asheville voters for improvements to parks and recreation facilities across the city. Community members attending the open house can expect family activities, refreshments, and free beach balls and pool totes while supplies last. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with designers and project staff, review designs informed by data from an earlier community preference survey, and offer input about features they would like included in the updated aquatics facility. Spanish language interpreters will be available.
“This is your chance to tell us what you like about the design and what you think is missing,” said Asheville Parks & Recreation Director D. Tyrell McGirt. “We’re on an aggressive timeline to bring this new pool to the community as quickly as possible, and the next step is getting feedback on this design to ensure this is the best possible pool for West Asheville and the entire city. Professional aquatic designers will translate your input from this phase and feedback from the community preference survey to refine the final design while also considering important safety requirements like building codes, environmental regulations, and the budget.”
For those unable to attend in person, other options are available for participation. An online survey will be accessible through the official project page. Community members may also contact Assistant Director Pete Wall via email with questions or suggestions. Project team members will be present at West Asheville Tailgate Market (718 Haywood Road) on September 30 from 3:30–6:30 p.m., as well as at other community events throughout September and October listed on the official project page.
City officials state their commitment to transparency throughout this process, emphasizing regular updates for residents through milestone notifications posted online.
