On Monday, demolition began at the former Morony Natatorium. The facility closed in 2018 due to it falling into disrepair.
Jessica Compton, deputy director for Great Falls Park & Recreation, said the site is not structurally sound to continue supporting an aquatic center.
The decision to close and tear down the natatorium resulted in Lions Park being chosen as the location for a new aquatic and recreation center, which is scheduled to open in Spring of 2024; click here for details.
“The old natatorium is being demolished today because of the structural stability was not sound enough to be able to hold an aquatic center here,” said Compton. “There's a natural spring underneath the site, and so that was causing the structural integrity to fail, and so we had to close the facility.”
Removing the natatorium will ultimately eliminate a safety hazard while also providing a restored and updated space with new amenities for the surrounding neighborhoods to enjoy.
“Going into this location will be a pavilion and a playground,” Compton said. “We are looking at different options of what will best suit the area around this park.”
The site in Morony Park where the natatorium was located had several factors causing issues as well as a variety of safety hazards.
“This natatorium had a six-lane lap pool and it also had locker rooms [and] an outdoor basketball court. Because of the spring that caused the disruption, you could see afterwards when it was closed how water was coming up, so we knew that was a big issue,” said Compton. “[If you] look, you can see where some of the siding had fallen down, too, so we just knew that structurally it was not a salvageable space and that is why we pursued other options.”
As of right now, there is no set date for when the new amenities in the park will be completed. We will update you as developments occur.
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