During our big splash for Betty Schoenbaum on Tuesday, children from the YWCA Child Enrichment Center were the first to make their own splash in the new Schoenbaum pool. On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the YWCA celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated facility.
The YWCA raised $1.1 million to replace the 1920s building’s leaking roof and HVAC systems, repair the exterior bricks and columns, replace the swimming pool and hot tub, renovate the locker rooms, and freshen up the interior with new paint and carpet. During Tuesday’s grand opening, the YWCA dedicated the new aquatic facility to Betty Schoenbaum to recognize her $150,000 donation to the project and her enduring heart for the Charleston community. The new pool is 20 feet by 60 feet, with a handicap-accessible ramp replacing the old pool’s lift. Locker rooms were rearranged to make best use of the space and feature all new showers and stalls, toilets, granite countertops, tile floors, lighting, electrical and plumbing, wall-to-wall mirrors, and built-in hairdryers. The new 10-person hot tub and new lighting, tile, and paint in the pool area make the facility “feel like a spa,” according to YWCA building renovations committee chairwoman Kit Wellford. “Because we saw this for a long-term investment for the people in our community, our talented committee of volunteer-professionals secured the best possible labor and materials to do the job right,” stated Wellford. “We are so proud of the finished product.”
