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Blue Springs, MO —
Tucked behind a white fence just west of the Blue Springs Country Club is a pool that was, until now, closed to most.
The exclusivity of the pool underscored the aim of private clubs around the country: members only. And in the case of Blue Springs residents who weren’t members of the club, they were kindly referred to the Centennial Pool-Plex near Blue Springs High School.
But with the changing of the club’s ownership, so, too, has the pool changed. It will now welcome anyone who wants to pay the seasonal fee.
“We wanted to make it a community pool,” Shauna McGinnis, the pool’s manager, said recently. “It’s unlike Centennial Pool, which can be a little scary for kids or for those people going to it for the first time.”
With the opening of its gates on May 26, the Blue Springs Club Swim will become the latest twist in a series of turns that began with a change of ownership on Dec. 31, 2011; with a list of renovations inside and out; and with a name change – from the Country Club of Blue Springs to its original name of Blue Springs Country Club.
Ralph Hembree, owner of the Blue Springs Country Club, embraces the idea – if for no other reason than it excuses him of worrying about the costs associated with pool operations.
“It will be in good hands,” Hembree said. “From the beginning, when I purchased the club, I didn’t want to operate it. Going this way will be a good partnership.”
Bill Shalley, who has been operating the pool for the last 10 years, entered into a lease agreement with Hembree. McGinnis will serve as the pool’s manager, her first venture.
“It should be exciting,” she said.
Hours of the pool are noon to 7 p.m. each day from May 26 to Labor Day.
Entrance to the pool will not be like a public pool. To use the facility, which includes a large pool with shallow and deep ends and a separate wading pool, one must join the club by way of three membership tiers.
McGinnis said prices are lower this year than they were last year, by about $50, a change that will attract new people, she added.
“The unique thing about this pool is that it has a private setting, more so than many pools,” she said.
For a single membership, the cost is $199; for a family membership the cost is $349 for a season, and $100 per swimmer who wants to join the Blue Springs Sharks swim team. For $499, that includes a family membership and swim team fees.
Tucked behind a white fence just west of the Blue Springs Country Club is a pool that was, until now, closed to most.
The exclusivity of the pool underscored the aim of private clubs around the country: members only. And in the case of Blue Springs residents who weren’t members of the club, they were kindly referred to the Centennial Pool-Plex near Blue Springs High School.
But with the changing of the club’s ownership, so, too, has the pool changed. It will now welcome anyone who wants to pay the seasonal fee.
“We wanted to make it a community pool,” Shauna McGinnis, the pool’s manager, said recently. “It’s unlike Centennial Pool, which can be a little scary for kids or for those people going to it for the first time.”
With the opening of its gates on May 26, the Blue Springs Club Swim will become the latest twist in a series of turns that began with a change of ownership on Dec. 31, 2011; with a list of renovations inside and out; and with a name change – from the Country Club of Blue Springs to its original name of Blue Springs Country Club.
Ralph Hembree, owner of the Blue Springs Country Club, embraces the idea – if for no other reason than it excuses him of worrying about the costs associated with pool operations.
“It will be in good hands,” Hembree said. “From the beginning, when I purchased the club, I didn’t want to operate it. Going this way will be a good partnership.”
Bill Shalley, who has been operating the pool for the last 10 years, entered into a lease agreement with Hembree. McGinnis will serve as the pool’s manager, her first venture.
“It should be exciting,” she said.
Hours of the pool are noon to 7 p.m. each day from May 26 to Labor Day.
Entrance to the pool will not be like a public pool. To use the facility, which includes a large pool with shallow and deep ends and a separate wading pool, one must join the club by way of three membership tiers.
McGinnis said prices are lower this year than they were last year, by about $50, a change that will attract new people, she added.
“The unique thing about this pool is that it has a private setting, more so than many pools,” she said.
For a single membership, the cost is $199; for a family membership the cost is $349 for a season, and $100 per swimmer who wants to join the Blue Springs Sharks swim team. For $499, that includes a family membership and swim team fees.
Swimming lessons also will be available, McGinnis said, and future plans may include pool rental.
Meanwhile, Hembree is still working on the club. This week, a new air conditioning unit was installed in the kitchen. Many of the more significant renovations, including the golf course itself, are either close to completion or finished.
“We’re still looking to boost our membership,” he said. “We’re doing what we can.”
The club has had a storied history. In 1969, shortly after the course was built by Colonel John Davis on 115 acres, nine local men formed the corporation known as the Blue Springs Country Club. They purchased the facility, which at the time had approximately 400 members. That was in 1972.
Membership reached its highest number in 2000 when 475 called the club a second home. The facility offered an 18-hole golf course, clubhouse amenities, fine dining, the pool and other offerings. When the economy started to sour about 2008, members began scaling back their lifestyles, and many dropped out of the club.
Hembree, who owns Summit Investment Group, bid on the property last year and purchased it for about $1.2 million. The deal was later closed on Dec. 31, 2011.
For more information, email bluespringsclubswim@gmail.com.
