Fort Worth Public Pool Bouncing Back From Closure

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - One of the city's oldest pools is reopening this summer after budget cuts kept it closed for two years.

All municipal pools in Fort Worth have been closed since 2009, but last year the city council unveiled a plan to reopen the Marine Park Pool after demands from residents.

"It was just a reminder of a resource that could have been used to the benefit the local youth," said Carlos Flores, a member of the Northside Neighborhood Association who helped to push for the pool to reopen. "I, myself, growing up in that area, learned how to swim in that pool.  So it does have a connection to me and a lot of the local residents there."

The 86-year-old pool was in disrepair, but fixes to plumbing and pipes and other infrastructure repairs came in under the $150,000 budget.

As city employees prepared for the grand re-opening, the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Worth nearby was also preparing for summer at the pool.

"When they saw the water fill up about two weeks ago, they were really, really, excited and were very anxious to get back in the pool and get back over there and start swimming over there," said Arica Prado, the branch director of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Worth.

The pool's closure had a big impact on the Club, which serves hundreds of children over the summer.

"When it closed down it forced us to try to look for other ways for them to get their exercise and water activities in," said Prado.

The pool is expected to get a lot of use this summer, but it's only a quick fix.

Next year, the children will have a better pool to swim in. With $3.9 million in grants and revenue from gas leases, the city hopes to open a new state-of-the-art aquatic center at Marine Park.

The old pool will be filled in and covered with a pavilion.

The city hopes to open the new aquatic center in May of 2013.

Until then, the Marine Park Pool will open Saturday, May 26 at noon.

Adults pay $3 and children pay $2.