Model renderings of the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Center expansion.

ASHEVILLE – Expansions to the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Center are moving forward following City Council authorization of a $6.7 million contract for the project, which will include a new pool, gymnasium and basketball courts for the Southside community, though some residents of the historically Black neighborhood said city outreach has been lacking. 

The pool will replace the segregation-era Walton Street Pool, which closed last year after 83 years, in large part due to costly mechanical and structural problems. 

Officials in 2017 said the pool would require at least $1.3 million to fix and bring it up to date. 

City spokesperson Polly McDaniel said it was “at the end of its life.” 

According to Christo Bubenik, program and operations manager with Asheville Parks and Recreation, the last summer the pool was open for a full season was 2015.