Two-Pool Option Favored

Jan 11, 2012 - 13:59:51 CST.

Local youth could have a newly restored Town Pool facility to look forward to as early as next year if recommendations of a City of Fredericksburg Citizens’ Pool Committee are approved by voters in May.

Although complete details of the committee’s work will not be released before the next city council meeting Monday evening, sources within the committee said that the recommendation will include two pools located at the existing Town Pool and Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park Pool locations.

Pool committee members gathered at City Hall Jan. 3 to approve their recommendation, which is said to cost between $3 million and $3.5 million.

Previous city efforts to develop a new swimming pool facility at the park through a $3.2 million bond were defeated by voters in May 2011 by a 1,140-366 margin.

Also on Monday’s council agenda will be a discussion about pool resurfacing options at the park pool.

Councilmen had discussed approving a low bid from Atlantis Pool in Abilene at their Jan. 3 meeting but opted to wait until after the pool committee’s recommendation.

Currently, Town Pool has significant structure damage and is unusable for the 2012 summer season, City Director of Parks and Recreation Jimmy Alexander said.

The pool, located across from Fredericksburg Middle School, closed three weeks early in 2010 due to a substantial leak in a two-inch galvanized water main and has not reopened since.

Despite the closure of Town Pool, overall pool attendance rose in 2011, with total pool attendance for the month of July reported at 4,581 customers -- up nearly 12 percent from July 2010 numbers when 4,036 customers swam at Park Pool and Town Pool.

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