The swimming pool at Withrow Springs State Park has reopened for the first time since 2017.
The pool opened for the summer season on July 4, said Adam Leslie, assistant superintendent at the state park, which is five miles north of Huntsville in Madison County.
Arkansas State Parks announced just before Memorial Day weekend in 2018 that the pool wouldn't open that summer because of safety concerns.
"An engineering investigation into the pool's supporting walls found the potential for a catastrophic failure to be so severe that even park staff cannot enter the area," a news release said. "The very real risk of bodily harm had to be top priority when arriving at the conclusion to keep visitors out of this part of the park for now."
Baldwin & Shell Construction Co. was awarded the contract to repair the swimming pool for $487,210.
It was the first time in its 50-year existence that the pool was closed for a summer. It's the only public swimming pool in Madison County.
Meg Matthews, a spokeswoman for Arkansas State Parks, said the Withrow Springs swimming pool opened at the same time as our other state park pools that had been closed due to a hiring freeze because of covid-19.
The Withrow Springs swimming pool is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12-6 p.m., said Leslie.