It was almost exactly a month ago that we told you about a plan to spruce up the public pool at 17th & Catharine at the Marian Anderson Rec Center, a project inspired by successful pop-up pools in other neighborhoods. We told you that SOSNA had pledged $6,000 to the cause and that Friends of MARC were working to raise another six grand to fund various improvements to the pool. This was an aggressively timed project because the pool was opening in the last week in June no matter what, so there was only a limited amount of time to raise those dollars. But fear not, the fundraising effort was a staggering success, with Friends of MARC more than doubling their fundraising goal. And now, thanks to the generosity of so many neighbors, the Marian Anderson pool looks all shiny and new.

We went over there today to take a look at the improvements in person, and deeply regretted that we didn’t come prepared with a swimsuit.

The pool has received numerous upgrades, as anyone who used it in previous summers can quickly attest. The pool itself was repainted, giving it a much cleaner look than in the past. In addition, you can see a collection of new chairs scattered around the pool, with a small seating section on a wooden deck, built by OFC Philly. There’s a new shower! And perhaps most importantly, the chain link fence that previously separated the pool from the bleacher seating area has been removed, and volunteers repainted said seating area and hung flags on the fence behind it. Here’s an image that really captures the significance of this change:

Since Friends of MARC raised more funds than they expected, they’ll be able to fund an additional full time job for a young local resident this summer and they’ll be funding programming all summer long. It should be a very fun season at the Marian Anderson pool, and we might just see you there. And in case you’re wondering, here are the hours for the summer:

If you’re in town and looking to cool down on July 4th, the pool will be open to the public from 12-5.