After sitting vacant for nearly 20 years, contractors were arriving Wednesday at the former pool house in Lompoc to start the demolition process.
The 65-year-old pool on Ocean Avenue once played an important role in the City of Lompoc but after it was deemed unsafe in 2000 and the cost to renovate the pool was determined to be out of reach, it was closed.
Even though the pool sat empty and unused, the city did not have the funding to demolish the pool house.
But in September, the Lompoc City Manager determined the safety concerns associated with the abandoned building outweighed the financial concerns and decided to move forward with the demolition plans.
Over the past month, memories of this old landmark have flooded social media.
"We shared a picture of the pool on our city Facebook page and there's been a ton of response from the community," City of Lompoc Public Information Officer Samantha Scroggin said. "It's been fun to hear just how much it's meant to the community through the many years it's been here. People learned to swim here, people swam with friends and family and have tons of special memories.'
City leaders approved $750,000 to finance the demolition. According to Scroggin, some of those funds were raised and the other portion comes from general fund.
The future of the space remains unknown but in the mean time, local officials plan to install benches and landscaping.
The demolition process is expected to take several months and will likely wrap up in February. In the meantime, Scroggin says the city is asking neighbors to be patient as noise and dust kicks up.
Once the demolition process officially begins, it will be live streamed on the city's website.
