CRANSTON, R.I. — Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins announced Monday a plan to revitalize and reopen Budlong Community Pool.

Hopkins described the project as a “multi-phase redevelopment” that will include a new scaled-down pool with a handicap accessible bathhouse.

The pool has been closed for three years due to the pandemic. Last summer, the city kept the pool closed after no funding was allocated for its operations in the city budget.

The first phase of the project will cost an estimated $3.5 million, the mayor’s office said. According to Hopkins, $350,000 will come from American Rescue Plan Act funding and $750,000 from congressional grants.

Additional funding for the first phase will be allocated in the city’s budget. The city’s planning commission recently approved those funds, but they are still waiting for approval from the Finance Committee and City Council.

Hopkins added later phases of the renovations could include a splash pad and a pickleball court.

“What I want to do is make it multi-dimensional,” Hopkins said. “If we had a splash pad or a pavilion where people can have cookouts, it’s not just the pool for eight weeks.”

Hopkins said while construction has already started, the pool reopen summer 2024.