Amarillo City Council votes to close Southwest Pool, orders engineering study for Southeast Pool

The Amarillo City Council voted Tuesday to permanently close the Southwest Swimming Pool and keep the Southeast Pool closed temporarily while the city conducts an engineering study to determine whether the facility can be repaired. The decision comes after months of discussion among council members and parks and recreation staff about the condition and safety of the city’s aging pool facilities.

Both pools have served the community for decades, with the Southeast Pool built in the 1960s and the Southwest Pool in the 1970s. City officials cited a range of concerns, including outdated equipment, leaks, and voids beneath the pool structures. Council members emphasized that these issues could pose safety risks if the pools were reopened without further evaluation.

Councilmember Tim Reid described the council’s approach as a compromise.

“Close southwest at this point, and let’s do a further study on the southeast because we do want to make sure, before we close something permanently like that, what is the need. What do we really need?”

Reid added that the decision reflects careful consideration of both community needs and taxpayer resources:

“I felt that it was probably one of the best discussions we’ve had since I’ve been on the council, because it really is something that’s important to the community. It’s an asset that the city owns, but it’s something that the taxpayers have given to us to be stewards of.”

Councilmember David Prescott, representing Place 3, said safety concerns were the central factor in the decision.

“We’re not talking about mechanical. We’re talking about human safety and human life and we have to take that. That has to be front and center,” Prescott said.

Financial considerations also played a role. Estimates presented to the council suggested that major repairs for either pool could cost around $1 million per facility, excluding potential structural improvements. Operating costs for a single season were also discussed, with the pools typically open for 75 to 90 days per year.

Prescott noted the importance of understanding the full scope of repairs before committing taxpayer funds:

“When we have $150,000 for staff, for chlorine to run the pumps, the electrical, all of those things… we’re losing money there, and I know it’s a quality of life issue, but when we see 9,000 individuals, 13,000 individuals, respectively, going to those two pools, is there a better allocation?”

Attendance data presented during the meeting showed that newer facilities tend to attract more visitors. Thompson Pool, for example, had more than 31,000 visitors last season, compared with roughly 10,000 at Southeast Pool and fewer than 10,000 at Southwest Pool. Prescott said this reflects a community preference for modern, updated facilities.

“It’s a facility that kids want to use. It’s a facility that moms and dads feel comfortable taking their kids to. It’s modern, and it’s updated, and it’s what we’ve come to expect, not 1975 relics,” Prescott said.

As part of the decision, the council directed the parks and recreation department to conduct an engineering study on the Southeast Pool. The study will assess the condition of the pool’s equipment and structure and help determine whether it can be repaired, expanded, or replaced. City officials have not set a timeline for completing the study. Any long-term plan for the Southeast Pool would return to the council for review and may require voter approval through a bond election.

Reid emphasized the importance of careful research before making permanent changes:

“Closing anything that’s a quality-of-life issue is never good. Sometimes there’s a right reason to do it but you still need to do the background and research to make sure that you’re making the right decision.”

Prescott added:

“If those engineering studies come back and they prove up that we can take care of it with relatively minor expense then let’s take a look at it. If not, let’s really row in the same direction as the city and build another kind of complex that we have in Thompson Park over on the southeast side. Or let’s really do a good study and really get the best value for the citizens of Amarillo.”

Following the engineering report, the Parks and Recreation Board will review the findings and recommend whether to keep or close the Southeast Pool. While the Southwest Pool will remain permanently closed, the Southeast Pool will stay closed temporarily and will not be operational for the upcoming summer season.

This decision marks a significant moment in Amarillo’s ongoing efforts to balance community recreation needs with safety and fiscal responsibility.