Vandals cause $600K in damage to SC YMCA pool. Facility seeks donations to reopen

About two weeks ago, someone punched an L-shaped hole in the bubble cover of the outdoor pool at the YMCA main branch in Greenville.

Sometime during the past weekend, someone came back to finish the job.

Officials say 10-to-12-foot slashes were made in the canvas, collapsing and destroying it.

YMCA President Scot Baddley said it will cost $600,000 to replace and take at least a few months to have it made and installed. The pool, located at the Caine Halter branch of the Greenville YMCA, will be closed until then.

“When you do this to the Y, you hurt children. You hurt families. You hurt people who need therapy,” Baddley told WYFF.

He said it was the worst act of vandalism at any of the Y’s five facilities in Greenville County.

Sgt. Johnathan Bragg of the Greenville Police Department said they have no suspects and there was no surveillance video.

The first incident on Jan. 7 also involved damage to furniture, Bragg said. A police report says all the trash cans, patio furniture and two time clocks were thrown into the pool.

The Y was able to patch the hole and keep the pool open.

The police report says the YMCA suspected people were in the pool after hours in October and November but no damage was done to the bubble cover.

The YMCA branch has an indoor pool as well as pools in other branches. About 200 people a week use the Caine Halter outdoor pool, specifically in swim classes and fitness..

“By not having access to the outdoor pool during the winter months, it could potentially affect membership,” the Y said in a statement to The State.

The Y is raising money for a replacement.

“The YMCA doesn’t have a determination from the insurance company, on how much they can count on to help fund a replacement,” the Y said.

Before the bubble was destroyed, the Y was planning to install a $2 million permanent retractable Dyna Dome system.