On Friday evening, May 28, as one of the kick-off events to Santa Fe Trail Days, the public and Larned City officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication celebration at Schnack Park for the newly refurbished Larned Municipal Swimming Pool.

Once the dedication was finished, enthusiastic swimmers and the public and officials were treated to an outdoor barbecue featuring hot dogs and hamburgers.

The event culminated almost two years of planning and work. The pool was not open in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns but it provided a perfect time for the community and City officials to take a look at the aging infrastructure, wiring and plumbing of the pool and decide whether to repair it or replace it with a newer, smaller pool at another location.

After numerous meetings and public surveys, the Larned City Council decided to renovate the current pool for two reasons: cost of new construction and, perhaps most important, the current pool is one of the largest in Kansas and is an attraction in western Kansas.

Over the past year City of Larned work crews replaced all of the disintegrating pipes, replaced pumps, repaired leaks, replaced electrical wiring and poured a new concrete decking surrounding the pool to provide a safer surface for swimmers to walk on. New fencing was also installed completely around the pool.

Thus, the beautiful new pool was opened to the public Friday and under cool beautiful skies, swimmers took advantage of the new facility. It was announced earlier by the Larned City Council that “Kids Swim Free” this summer so expectations are for a “full house” all summer long for Larned’s youth!