Making a splash: Richardson aims to improve aquatic options with new plan

“Being a contemporary, modern city, aquatics are important to offer our residents,” City Manager Don Magner said. “It’s something that adds to a healthy community and allows families to come together and exercise and recreate.”

Diving in deeper

Richardson Parks and Recreation Director Yvonne Falgout said the purpose of the master plan is to ensure the city is a place people want to live by distributing aquatic services across the community.

Northeast Richardson residents are not served within a 15-minute drive time by either the city’s five outdoor pools or ones in adjacent cities, according to a draft of the aquatics master plan.

Richardson resident Sandy Hanne swims regularly for exercise but said Heights Family Aquatic Center is not ideal for lap swimming because there are so many other users, especially children. As a result, she uses an app called Swimply to rent backyard pools as an alternative.

Because Richardson facilities do not have indoor pools, Hanne said she drives to Plano pools, which cost her $9 a visit, or $25 a month, plus toll fees.

George Deines, studies director for aquatic architecture firm Counsilman-Hunsaker, said during a presentation at the Dec. 9 council meeting that one of the first goals of the plan is to understand the city’s community pools and assess their condition and lifespan. Many of Richardson’s community pools do not meet current aquatic trends and standards, he said, and many are experiencing deterioration of pool decks and other structures.

Most of Richardson’s community pools were built in the 1960s, Deines said, and their conditions are not optimal for modern and efficient operations. Additionally, several facilities have been identified for Americans With Disabilities Act improvements. Other identified improvements include replacing amenities and play features, replacing the plaster surface of the pool with a new layer and re-laminating concrete decking.

Resident surveys showed the most requested item during community engagement sessions is indoor facilities that are open year-around, Deines said. Additionally, many residents said they feel Richardson lags behind other cities in the region when it comes to aquatic offerings, according to a draft of the master plan.

What are the options

Magner said the city’s needs have changed since the last aquatics master plan update.

“What we really want to do is create a path forward that will allow us to maintain our aquatics offerings in a way that meets community expectations,” Magner said. “Today, any city considered a great place to live is going to offer an aquatics program that is diverse.”

The first of the three options includes renovations to existing facilities, including the Heights Family Aquatic Center and Canyon Creek or replacing the pool with a new sprayground. It also includes a new outdoor community aquatic facility at Apollo Park and new spraygrounds at Cottonwood Park, Breckinridge Park and Glenville Park or Terrace Park.

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

The last option includes a future indoor pool and a recreation center at Breckinridge Park. To retain appropriate community coverage, an outdoor facility is included at Glenville Park. The option would also renovate several existing facilities and new spraygrounds at Cottonwood and Terrace Parks.

Magner noted that councils can pick and choose individual projects from each path, and are not forced to pick one specific option and complete all projects within that option.

“If we were to pick just one plan and we couldn’t accomplish that plan exactly like it was laid out, it might have been considered a failure,” Magner said.

Funding the project

Magner said the first step is to figure out a funding strategy for the Heights Aquatics Center, and that adding $1.5 million in renovations will preserve the center.

The next step would be to replace outdated swimming pools with spraygrounds, which would likely require bond funding, Magner said.

The next bond program is tentatively scheduled for November 2026, Magner said.

Council has three options to choose from and the path forward would depend on the specific strategy council decides on, Magner said, adding that small projects can be funded by savings from other projects or year-end reserves.

Other sources of funding include certificates of obligation for maintenance-type projects.

The exact funding strategy will be determined by council, Magner said.

Loughmiller and Hanne both said they would support bonds for new aquatic facilities.

What’s next

The renovations for each option break down into three time frames: short-term, mid-term and long-term priorities, and include addressing existing facilities, expanding recreation with additional facilities and developing new community aquatic centers.