New parks and recreation director speaks to Rotary Club about current, future projects

Corbin Parks and Recreation Director Jacob Roan

Assuming all goes well with the installation of a pair of heaters, the Corbin City Pool should officially be opening back up to the public in the coming days. This was one bit of good news that was given to members of the Corbin Rotary Club last week by Jacob Roan, Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Corbin.

“I have been in the position since November 1,” Roan said during his presentation. “One of the things that I inherited is the pool, which has the inflatable dome over it right now.”

Roan explained that, since coming into the director position, he has been involved with work to get the water temperature in the pool up to the desired level. “We had some issues with heating the water,” he said. “We brought in multiple groups, but we finally got it up to 82 degrees, which is what is comfortable.”

Roan said the water temperature has remained stabilized for close to a month now, but that conditions outside of the water have been the latest issue.

“Outside of the water is cold,” Roan said. “So, there are two heaters on the way to us from Wisconsin. Once those are installed, we will open the pool up to the public on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons.”

Roan advised everyone to follow along with the Corbin Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook in order to receive future updates.

Updates to civic center a top priority

Roan said that he is also hoping to begin offering some water aerobics classes for seniors at the pool, and he mentioned that several local high school swim teams are continuing to utilize the facility for practices.

“I saw the investment that had been made in this dome,” Roan said. “I thought that it was a lot of money to keep the pool open during the winter, but I am happy to see so many people utilizing it. It is a neat facility, and really something to be proud of.”

Roan also mentioned the Corbin Civic Center as a top priority, saying, “It gets a lot of use. There is everything from gun shows, to spay-and-neuter clinics, to salvage sales and a lot of private events.”

“There are several leaks in the roof, and the facility as a whole has a lot of updates that need to be done,” Roan continued. “We are going to be out searching for some federal funds that will help us to renovate the facility in the near future. That is one of our top priorities right now.”

Town halls being planned

During his presentation, Roan said that he is eager to engage with the Corbin community in order to find out what citizens want to see from their parks and rec department.

“We have applied for a 15,000 dollar grant that will allow for some planning in the department,” Roan said. “We are bringing in a group from Lexington to help us facilitate some town hall-style meetings with citizens who want to get engaged with the parks system.”

“I want to get to know what the people of Corbin really want and need,” Roan added. “That will allow us to prioritize where funds go in the future.”

Roan said that he plans on hosting the first of these meetings sometime in March, and that more information will be made available via the Corbin Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

Updates on other projects

While speaking at the Rotary Club meeting, Roan took the opportunity to provide a few other updates, including:

• The grant-funded outdoor fitness park located next to Corbin Elementary School will be opening in the spring.

• Work will continue this spring on the new toddler park located next to the Engineer Street Bridge.

• Repairs are being done to the splash pad in downtown Corbin after lines were damaged due to not being properly weatherized. A quote for the repairs has been received, and work is expected to be complete in time for the summer season.