SMITHFIELD — Harold Hemberger isn’t sure whether he’ll give the new pool at the Smithfield YMCA a spin during the grand reopening on Saturday.

“I haven’t thought about that,” Hemberger, the YMCA’s chief executive officer, said with a chuckle. “There’s a good possibility, but there are so many other things that will be going on, I may not get the chance.”

Hemberger and the YMCA’s more than 3,500 members will have plenty of time to test the waters.

After six months of construction, the YMCA on Saturday will dedicate the renovated pool during a ceremony at 10 a.m. The event will feature Rudy Pauls, runner-up on season eight of “The Biggest Loser,” who will help cut the ribbon to the new pool. Jay the Music Man, of “America’s Got Talent,” will be on hand to entertain guests, and there will be raffle prizes and refreshments, Hemberger said.

Swimmers can take a dip in the pool before the festivities begin. The pool will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. with three lap lanes and will reopen after the dedication for adult and family swims with two lap lanes.

The new facility boasts pale blue walls and energy-efficient lights overhead with three settings — the lowest of which throws off more light than the old fixtures did.

“It was a cave,” Hemberger said of the old pool. “A pool in a cave.”

To get rid of that image, they replaced the steel roof with a rubber system to cut down on leaks and reinforced the walls with steel bars and cement. The pool was resurfaced, and the dehumidifier that used three large tanks in a back room was replaced with one machine about the size of one of the tanks.

“That was a major complaint,” Hemberger said. “They said the air was stale, wasn’t moving and there was a high-pitched chlorine smell.”

The work — which cost $750,000 — was funded primarily through a $350,000 grant from the Champlain Foundations. Other major contributors were the June Rockwell Levy Foundation, the Shriners and Ocean State charities. The organization raised $271,000 through private donations.

Formerly the Smithfield Boys Club, the Smithfield YMCA was formed in 1982 and has 3,500 members and 4,000 annual participants. It offers before and after school programs, summer day camp, childcare, fitness programs and preschool play and learning groups. It also offers water safety and water aerobics classes.

The last renovation was 40 years ago, Hemberger said. The organization will most likely work on renovating the fitness center as its next project, he said.

tbuford@projo.com