News

Ask Matt ... about the effort to make a splash for an indoor pool

By Matt Matteson, Published: July 3, 2025

Q. What is the status of the community group exploring a new aquatics center?

   The City of Hendersonville shuttered Patton Pool this summer because of Helene flood damage, which is still being assessed. The Hendersonville Family YMCA has an indoor pool that is old and inadequate for its membership. The Lelia Patterson Center has an indoor pool but its Fletcher location is not an easy drive for many.

  An ad hoc group of citizens hopes to make a splash when it comes to public awareness of the need for a new pool. SOS or “Support Our Swimmers,” chaired by Katie Breckheimer, hit the road to see what other WNC communities had achieved.

“Parks and Rec (Henderson County) did a needs assessment in 2019 and a swimming complex was in the top five,” Breckheimer says. “Now that those needed soccer fields and ball parks have been addressed and the aquatic center has moved up.”

   The aquatic center concept could be an indoor facility with two pools. The first would be a 50-meter, 8-lane pool for lap swimmers and team competition. The deep end would allow diving, water rescue, lifeguard training, water polo and scuba training. There would be ample spectator seating. The second pool, kept at a warmer temperature, would be designed for shallow and deep water exercise classes, swimming lessons, and therapy. “We’re thinking big,” says Breckheimer, a swimmer herself. “It’s easier to cut amenities than to add.”

   The study group visited aquatic centers in Cullowhee, Boone and Waynesville. The first two were in college towns, yet each was totally financially supported by the community. “Cullowhee’s aquatics center is not connected to Western Carolina University,” Breckheimer says. “They passed a $20 million bond referendum to pay for it.”

   Patton Pool’s future is the biggest unknown. Eight feet of floodwater severely damaged pumps, equipment and locker rooms.

“The pool is 50 years old and only offers swimming 10 weeks each year,” says Bill Ramsey, a retired engineer and SOS member. “If the city puts significant money into repairs, it could affect our project.”

   The city is still in the process of gauging public opinion on the continued need for a “summer only” outdoor pool. If Patton Pool is closed permanently, fundraising for a feasibility study for an aquatics center could begin.

Breckheimer does not think the Ecusta Trail, another recreation amenity that is heavy into fundraising, will affect the project.

“There really is no competition,” she says. “And we have received dozens of letters of support already.”

   Also unknown is the future expansion of the YMCA, which in March of 2024 shared options for expanding the facility.

“Pools are expensive to operate and staff,” says Tim Blenco, chief operating officer of the YMCA of WNC. “We’re keeping our eye on construction costs right now. It’s about what we have, what we can raise and what we can borrow.”

Blenco ruled out abandoning the current property on Sixth Avenue West at Oak Street, which has enough space to build new. But he did not rule out partnerships. The YMCA is a stakeholder in Patton Pool; it has been managing the pool and running programs there for several years. “All options are on the table,” Blenco says.

   So where would an aquatics center be built? The SOS group has some ideas but feels that the question is premature and could hinder fundraising. The same may be true with whether the facility would be linked to the city of Hendersonville or viewed as an independent public entity. A major donor could solve that problem. One can easily surmise that if a state-of-the art indoor aquatics center were to gain traction, it would be needless to fix Patton Pool or replace the Y’s aging pool. “It’s important that the city and county work together on this,” says Breckheimer, a longtime community influencer.

In the meantime, Breckheimer and Ramsey offered this motto for the aquatics center: “All people, all ages, all weather.”