OPELOUSAS — The South City Park community pool sits vacant after the city shut it down a decade ago after the pool experienced maintenance issues.
Today, the city plans to add a new community center to the area, removing the pool that once stood as a community treasure. For one well known businessman, the memories of that pool date back to 1943.
"I worked as a lifeguard at the pool when I was a young boy,"said Martin Roy III, owner of Roy Motors Chevrolet in Opelousas.
96 years young, Roy recalls spending quality time at the South City Park pool.
"I had a lot of friends that would come and meet me there; it was just a good time," said Roy.
Back in 1943, just 15 years old, Roy and his friend Rudolph Dupont created countless memories at the pool.
"The pool was a very central part of the park, and during the summertime, it was the place to go. Everybody loved talking to life guards, especially the ladies, the younger ones really loved the lifeguards," said Roy.
The pool also played a pivotal point during World War II when the soldiers would come back on town to see love ones.
"On Sunday, all the army fellas would come and swim; the pool was very packed on those days," said Roy.
Not only did the pool bring happiness during dark times, It also became a family tradition for Roy.
"My son became a lifeguard in the 1960's," said Roy.
Today, not so much a treasure, the pool sits behind this building at South City Park, wrapped in a black tarp and overgrown with weeds. The city plans to remove the pool and build a new community center.
Newspaper journalist and former teacher Bobby Ardoin grew up in Opelousas during the 1960's and spent countless days at the pool learning how to swim but the process wasn't all that easy at times.
"It helped me conquer my fears of diving," said Ardoin.
He believes the generation that grew up with the pool may not want to see this part of history go just yet.
I guess a lot of people like do not like to see their vision of Opelousas and the way it was when they grew up vanish. They and I have so many memories of growing up in Opelousas, and South City Park was the place to be in the 50s, the pool was one of our focal points of our community. and the memories will always be a treasure," said Ardoin.
There is no word yet on when the community will break ground.
