MEDFORD, Ore. – After over six decades of operation, Medford Parks and Recreation is officially bidding farewell to the Jackson Aquatic Center.
The community is invited to the center on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. for a free open swim celebration with food, games and prizes.
This is the last time the center will be open to the public as the city works to decommission the pool.
Sue McKenna served as the recreation supervisor for the City of Medford for 32 years and she said that she is so proud of the staff that worked at the aquatic center over the years to keep it up and running.
“In the entire life span of Jackson and Hawthorne pools, there was not one drowning,” she said. “And that’s a credit to these young people who lifeguarded the pool. That’s probably what I’m most proud of, out safety record. And second most proud of, would be the all kids who learned to swim during the program, thousands of kids every summer learned to swim at those two pools.”
McKenna said she is so grateful that the pool lasted as long as it did because she said all those years, it was a running joke with the staff that any day could have been its last.
A new public pool will be available in Medford with the opening of the new Rogue X center in 2024.
And because of Sue’s dedication to importance of swimming, the Table Rock Kiwanis Club foundation donated $30,000 in swim scholarships in Sue’s name to the new facility.
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