Joan Campbell, 96, stepped out of the Long Center's renovated pool on Friday, July 31, with a three-word review: "That was great."
Campbell, a US Masters Swimming competitor with 1,331 career swims and a member of a world-record-setting relay team, had waited 17 months for this moment. She'd been swimming laps at the Long Center at least three times a week for 30 years before the $17.3 million renovation shut the facility down in February 2025.
She wasn't alone in the water. Mayor Bruce Rector jumped in wearing a suit and tie, joined by Clearwater City Council members and summer campers at a welcome-back pool party that ran from 3 to 6:45 p.m., Bay News 9 reported.
"I am looking forward to the peace of being in the water. It really is peaceful," Campbell said before her swim. She covered about 1,200 meters in the long course, her usual routine.
The celebration at 1501 N. Belcher Road featured free snow cones, giveaways, behind-the-scenes tours of the renovated natatorium, resource tables from local organizations, and a mermaid lady demonstration, according to the city's event page.
What's new inside
The Long Center pool is one of the few indoor, climate-controlled, Olympic-sized competitive pools in Florida. The renovation replaced corroded structural steel framing, swapped single-pane windows for an insulated glass curtain wall rated for hurricane-level impacts, installed a new reflective roof with a 25-kilowatt solar panel array, added a new HVAC and dehumidification system, and replaced all pool water treatment equipment.
The project was funded with $5 million in Penny for Pinellas revenue and $12.5 million from the city's General Fund. Value engineering during construction saved more than $1 million, according to city project records.
Programming returns
Mark Roberson, recreation aquatics supervisor at the Long Center, said he's ready to welcome back the swimming community. He's looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with swim lessons, lifeguard classes, Water Safety Instructor courses, and water polo.
As we reported July 28, the pool had been closed since February 2025 for the renovation. The Long Center's fitness center, gymnasium, and Aging Well Center remained open throughout construction.
Campbell, who holds All-American honors across 18 years of pool individual events and 18 years of relay events through US Masters Swimming, plans to resume her three-times-a-week schedule immediately.
Coming up in Clearwater
The Long Center pool is open to the public for lap swimming, open swim, and aquatics programming at 1501 N. Belcher Road. The Clearwater Threshers host Back to School Night on Thursday, Aug. 6, and Pinellas County schools return Tuesday, Aug. 11.
