Two-minute impact
Council members voted 4-1, with Connie Rossi abstaining, to approve Q Recycling and Construction Services’ $49,000 quote for the demolition job.
The city received four quotes, and Q Recycling and Construction Services submitted an offer of nearly $7,000 less than the city had budgeted for fiscal year 2024-25.
“It’s clear by now that from all the data we’ve been given by one of the leading aquatics firms in the country is that the options for repair or renovation don’t come with any guarantees,” Jersey Village Mayor Bobby Warren said in the meeting. “You could sink money into them and still continue to have the same problems. ... Repair and refurbishment is not an option, and therefore demolition needs to happen.”
Choosing to repair and maintain the existing pool would cost the same amount of money as building a new one, Warren said.
The project
During the meeting, City Manager Austin Bleess said Q Recycling and Construction Services has previously worked for the city, demolishing properties in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3.
Q Recycling and Construction Services will demolish and remove the pool, pool deck and pump house. They will also backfill the area with dirt, according to city documents.
Bleess said the restroom area and the shade structure near the pool will not be demolished.
Why now?
Clark Henry Pool was built in 1975, 50 years ago, and has exceeded the average 30-to-40-year lifespan, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The Jersey Village City Council presented propositions to voters in the last two elections to address the aging facility, which has experienced issues such as leaks. Both propositions were rejected, with 58% opposing a new pool in 2024 and 59.3% voting against it in 2023.
“A pool bond has now failed twice,” council member Michelle Mitcham said. “We need a plan for a pool moving forward, ... but I do not believe at all it involves the pool that is sitting there as is now. I feel like it’s a major liability, and it’s costing us every single month it sits there.”
Next steps
During budget sessions in May, the Jersey Village City Council will discuss a plan to build a new pool.
"We'll be under budget," Bleess said in the meeting. "Happy to have a great conversation about the future of the pool there in the budget sessions in May."
