Kathryn Linehan spends eight months in the Queensbury UFSD pool as a competitive swimmer. 
“This is my 12th year swimming here, and last year I literally had to go to the bottom and tape the pool together,” said Kathryn, a senior and one of the captains of the varsity swim team. “So this year, I’m very, very excited.”
Linehan and her teammates were on hand Thursday, Sept. 7 to help cut the blue and gold ribbons to officially open the newly renovated pool at Queensbury Elementary School.
Athletic Director Richard Keys kicked off the event by thanking the administration, Board of Education and all the people who worked on the project, including Turner Construction. The pool renovations were part of the $19.75 million capital project, which also included the construction of the new Turf Athletic Complex.
The pool was drained June 1, and construction took place over the summer.
“This has been a staple to our community,” Keys said. “Thousands of students have come through Queensbury who have learned to swim or enhanced their swimming skills in this pool. 
“This is a gem of a facility for our district,” Keys continued, wishing luck to the swim team that held its first meet Thursday evening in the pool.
Superintendent of Schools Kyle Gannon told the swimmers he expected a win in their first meet.
“Get in there and swim,” Gannon said. “Swim the lights out of this place.”
Tim Weaver, the vice president of the Queensbury Board of Education, said the old pool was dark and in need of improvements.
“It’s amazing,” said swim team captain Sophia Robertson. “Better than I ever thought it could be. So, I’m excited to spend time here.”
Captain Abigail Johnson said the team was looking forward to swimming in the new facility.
“Having a nice facility like this makes it a lot more enjoyable to come to practice everyday,” Johnson said. “It’s really nice. We’ve been looking forward to it.”