FERRIDAY — Ferriday residents could be swimming in the town’s pool once again by this time next year.

Ferriday Mayor Gene Allen brought up the pool, which has been an issue of great contention in years past, Tuesday after the town received a letter from a private citizen wanting to assist in reopening the pool.

Allen said the letter is one of several requests he’s received recently from local residents who seem to be eager and willing to contribute money to the town to repair and reopen the pool.

“I’ve had three private citizens come in here and offer to give me $10,000 each to help open the pool,” Allen said. “I want to open that pool more than anyone, but we have some health issues to work out first.”

The Ferriday town pool was closed by the health department in 2005, but briefly reopened in 2007 before closing for good.

Allen said representatives from Blankenstein’s Supplies and Equipment in Natchez came to inspect the pool recently when town officials were hopeful they could get the facility open this summer.

The damages to the pool’s filtering system and other parts, Allen said, would cause health issues if water were to be put in the pool.

“They told us it would cost $350,000 to build a new pool and it would cost us $85,000 to renovate the pool,” Allen said. “So we called our engineering people who are looking at the pool right now for free for us and are going to get us plans on what they think it would take to renovate the pool.”

Allen said he felt that the interest from private donors and even some Ferriday businesses was great enough to begin making a concentrated fundraising effort to repair the pool.

“We’re going to have a swimming pool, even if it takes $350,000,” Allen said. “We have the people willing to raise the money, and this is something that will benefit the children of the Town of Ferriday who need to know how to swim.”