Foley, Ala. — (OBA) —  Foley is moving forward with plans to build a new indoor Aquatics Center at Max Griffin Park. The facility will be on West Roosevelt Avenue, near the site of the city's existing outdoor swimming pool. That outdoor pool has served Foley residents since 1953. The new center is designed to provide local swimmers, swim teams, and families with a year-round facility.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the current outdoor pool has time limits for swimming. City officials hope to issue construction bids later in 2026. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete once construction begins. The existing outdoor pool will remain open while the new center is under construction.

Hellmich said the change is long overdue for the community. Some of Foley's swim teams have had to travel to other locations to train when inclement weather made the outdoor pool unusable.

"We're going from a Memorial Day to the start of school facility to a year-round center that more meets the needs of our citizens," Hellmich said. "It's time we had this in Foley."

David Thompson, Foley's executive director for leisure services, said swimming has grown increasingly popular in the city. Swim team membership has been rising recently, adding urgency to the project.

"We've had over 100 kids for the last couple of years," Thompson said. "We have a great swim coach, so we have a lot of momentum around aquatics right now."

City officials held a series of public meetings to gather residents' ideas before finalizing the design. One of the most requested features was two pools inside the center. The final plan includes both a therapy pool and a competition pool.

"They wanted a therapy pool, and they wanted a competition pool, and that's what we have," Thompson said. "That's a great idea because if one of those two pools gets shut down, we can still continue business. Today, if that happens, we're done for the day."

The new building will also include outdoor restrooms to replace those at the current pool site. Once the Aquatics Center opens, the old outdoor pool will be removed. Hellmich said possible uses for that space include a splash pad or a pavilion.