Dallas City officials are making tough decisions to overcome a $38 million shortfall in its finances, but these cuts may not claim the city’s nine community pools just yet.
Departments were asked to find ways to reduce their budgets by 6%. The city’s Park Board met in July for a special called meeting to discuss suggested cuts worth $2.6 million that could close all nine of the city’s public pools and reduce the city’s contribution to public-private partnerships, including the Dallas Zoo, by 3%.
Some Park Board members who oversee the department said pool closures could negatively impact communities in the city’s southern half as the majority of pools lie south of I-30.
Since then, park officials have suggested cutting hours to three days a week during the summer to lower operating costs and focusing on the larger aquatic masterplan to prioritize the pools’ future.
The nine public pools include Bonnie View, Everglade, Glendale, Grauwyler, Jaycee Zaragoza, Martin Weiss, Pleasant Oaks, Tommie Allen and Walnut Hill.
Council members wanted to determine whether the shorter hours would be phased out and see a future bond investment in pools. Park Department Director John Jenkins Jenkins said he was looking for private dollars to revive pools.
