“I believe the original headlines on the Dallas Morning News were a little bit extra, I think,” Karimi said to the Observer. “They didn't mention any exceptions. They didn't mention the fact that we have different classifications of pools. They didn't mention that we have Bahama Beach, our flagship, and that these things are unaffected by any proposed cuts. They just said all pools are closing.”
The News' headline now reads, “Dallas could close all community pools over the next three years,” but to Karimi’s memory, the original version lacked the keyword “community” and noted that 99% of readers don’t know the difference between a community pool and all aquatic centers.
“Was it intentionally misleading?,” Karimi said. “I don't know, but it was misleading. And I believe they have backtracked a little bit and changed that headline… I felt it necessary to try to set that record straight.”
Eventually, the city will close all nine pools, the youngest of which, Everglade Pool, was constructed 50 years ago, in 1975. But first, they’ll start with just three, which are some of the oldest and, more notably, least utilized pools in the city, according to city data: Glendale, built in 1949, Grawuwyler, built in 1947 and Walnut Hill, built in 1954.
Data presented at a briefing on Aug. 21 show that all three pools average between 39 and 56 visitors a day. The most popular community pool, Martin Weiss Pool, has an average of 189 visitors a day. Comparatively, the most popular aquatic center, the Cove at Samuell Grand, has an average of 368 visitors a day.
In 2017, Dallas voters approved a $260 million parks bond package, $75 million of which was granted for the construction of nine new pools. The pools were a part of the 2015 Aquatic Master Plan; an updated ten-year plan is expected to be released soon. The News reports that the large deal carried a concessionary condition that dated pools would be decommissioned. Within the year, the city broke ground on its first aquatic center, and since then, all nine have been constructed.
The pools recommended for closure over the next three years have been in a state of deterioration since the 2015 Aquatic Master Plan was approved, and the board decided closure is a better alternative to costly renovations.
“The traditional pools have reached both physical and functional obsolescence and they do not meet modern recreational aquatic user needs,” the 2015 plan states. “The existing pool system is not financially sustainable.”
Dallas Pool History
Today, the city manages 20 pools, including the nine that will soon close. But in the 20th century, Dallas was inundated with community pools. The very first pool was built in 1921, and by 1980, the city had over 80 pools, which the city qualified as “mostly small neighborhood wading pools”. Following a significant drop in pool attendance in the ‘90s and a change to state health and safety codes, the city closed all wading pools.Karimi said that back in the day, these rudimentary pools had no pumps or filtration systems, meaning they were filled and drained every single day. So, the city is well versed in draining pools and then paving over them.
“We know a thing or two about filling [pools] up [with concrete] because they don't exist anymore,” said Karimi. “That's exactly what's going to happen with these… They will be filled. They will become green space. And you know what? That's also good. The more green space we have, that's not a bad thing.”
Karimi says that historically, as pools have closed across the city, Dallasites have simply traveled to the better souped-up aquatic centers.
"I don't believe people are going to be like, 'Where did all our pools go?' Because they're going to realize, 'We have other pools. They're really, really good. Let's go utilize them.'"
South Dallas Loses Pool Access
A good number of the community pools closing are located in the southern half of Dallas, below Interstate 30, which has long been a widely accepted separation line isolating resources on one wealthier half of the city, a half where the larger house listings often feature a backyard pool. The city’s newer aquatic centers are evenly dispersed on both sides of the highway, but critics still questioned the methods the city employed in their design and construction in certain areas.“Instead of updating or replacing the city’s 20 community pools, the Park Board and City Council opted to build nine new aquatic centers with amenities such as a lazy river, water slides, a “tot pool” and spray features. None of these were slated for West Dallas…,” wrote, born-and-bred Dallasite and journalist for the Dallas Free Press, Jeffrey Ruiz in 2022. “None of the 11 public input meetings for the 2015 master plan were held in our neighborhood…”
The community pools have a maximum $2 entrance fee depending on age. The aquatic centers are double the price for children under 4-feet tall, and $6 for children over 4-feet tall, who can prove their residency in Dallas with a valid ID. For non-residents, or Dallas children who do not have a physical identification with their address on it, the fees are up to $6 and $9, respectively, based on height.
Last year, the Park and Recreation board proposed closing the pools, but instead chose to reduce hours, hoping to keep the “legacy pools” alive. However, they have returned to their original recommendations this budget season.
“There's no renewed demand, unfortunately,” said Karimi. “We tried to ride it out one extra year. I believe we made the right decision last year by keeping all nine open… Nobody wants to close these pools. It's an emotional decision. It's a painful decision.”
Last year, when the city teased closing the pools, Councilmember Chad West, representing much of South Dallas, highlighted the location of community pools and the community they serve.
“This is one of the very last places I can imagine actually trying to find cuts,” West said in 2024. “I know that there's quite a few pools in the southern sector… These community pools really service the part of the community that doesn't have access to pools otherwise.”
