Just in time for this summer’s heat wave, the new Hollywood Pool will open on Monday, Aug 3 after a two-year renovation.

After a two-year renovation, the pool at 1122 Cole Ave. will be open to the public in the beginning of August. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The pool, located at 1122 Cole Ave., near the intersection of Cole and Lexington avenues, will be open to the public for recreational swimming, as well as lap swimming and swim lessons. Diving boards, platforms and a water slide lure swimmers to the new pool.

“[The timing] could not be better,” said Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District. “This is a pool and aquatics center worthy of any neighborhood anywhere in Los Angeles.”

O’Farrell said the former pool at the site — built in 1950 — had become dilapidated and had structural issues that necessitated a new pool being installed. The pool building was refurbished to make it compliant with ADA regulations for disabled access. The $7.6 million project was paid for using Proposition K funding, which provides money for parks and recreational facilities.

The new pool will be operated by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP). It is slightly larger than the original pool at the site (9,575 square feet compared to 8,550 square feet) and is slightly smaller than an Olympic-size pool, according to RAP spokeswoman Joanna Berni.

“They are going to have recreational swimming, swim team competitions and lap swimming,” Berni added. “There will be youth and adult swim lessons, youth aquatics team swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.”

Berni said the pool has shallow ends that are three-feet deep at either side, and the bottom gradually tapers to 12-feet deep at the center. Recreational swimming hours will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends. She instructed people to call the pool office at (323)460-7030, or visit www.laparks.org, for information on other swimming activities. The general admission cost is $3.50 for adults ages 18-64, $1 for children under 17 and seniors 65 and older.

O’Farrell said the pool is located in a community with few recreational resources, and he is hopeful the new facility will provide a much needed option, especially during the summer.

“Families need really good recreation facilities, and I am so delighted to bring this world-class facility to a neighborhood that is so deserving,” O’Farrell added. “It is a huge improvement over the pool it replaced.”

A grand opening ceremony will be held at the pool on Aug. 3 at 2 p.m. The pool is currently scheduled to close after Labor Day. O’Farrell said he plans to seek funding that will keep the facility open longer.

“We will work on keeping the pool open as late as we can,” he said. “I want to see it open beyond Labor Day, as September is often one of the hottest times of the year.”

The new pool project was the first part of a two-phase upgrade to facilities at the Hollywood Recreation Center, which include sports fields and playgrounds in a park with the boundaries of Cole and Lexington avenues, and Cahuenga and Santa Monica boulevards. O’Farrell said the next phase is to renovate the gymnasium at the site. No timeline has been established for that project, which is in the pre-design phase.