Richardson community pools may see an upgrade in the future following action taken by City Council during the Jan. 13 meeting.

Richardson City Council approved an aquatics master plan that will focus on access to community aquatic centers to the entire community.

The background

One reason for the update is to address service gaps as the northeast portion of the city is not served by a pool within a 15-minute drive time by any of the city’s five outdoor pools, or by outdoor pools in adjacent cities.

Parks and Recreation Director Yvonne Falgout said the plan has three options for council to consider. The first includes:

• Renovations to the Heights Family Aquatic Center to address pool deck and Americans With Disabilities Act requirements Renovate Canyon Creek or replace with new sprayground
• New community aquatic facility at Apollo Park
• New spraygrounds at Cottonwood Park, Breckinridge Park and Glenville Park or Terrace Park

The improvements would cost roughly $22.7 million with an annual operating budget of about $847,000 while bringing in about $287,000 in annual revenue, according to the master plan draft.

The second option would replace the outdoor facility at Apollo Park with an indoor and outdoor aquatic center.

Under this option, the project cost is roughly $64.7 million with an estimated operating cost of $2.8 million and $1.2 million in revenue.

The last option includes a future indoor pool in combination with a recreation center at Breckinridge Park. To retain appropriate community coverage, an outdoor facility is included at Glenville Park.

Additionally, the plan would see renovations to Heights Aquatics Family Center, either renovations at Canyon Creek Park or replacing the pool with a spraygrounds at Cottonwood Park and Terrance Park.

The budget for these projects is roughly $84.1 million with an estimated annual operating cost of $2.1 million and a revenue of $880,312.

Looking ahead

The renovations for each option break down into three time frames: short-term priorities, mid-term priorities and long-term priorities.

Short term priorities include addressing existing facilities, including the Heights Family Aquatic Center, to improve safety, accessibility and the overall user experience and should be completed within two years.

The mid-term priorities, which should be completed within three to five years, include expanding recreation by constructing new spraygrounds at various parks, depending on the option.

Long-term priorities include developing new community aquatic centers.