$11 Million For Forest Park Pool Are Kiddie Pool Numbers; Residents Say The City Needs To Dive Into The Deep End To Fund City Pools

Arlington TX

14 March, 2022

7:44 PM

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By Rachel Behrndt, Fort Worth Report March 14, 2022 A group of neighbors fought City Hall to preserve the Olympic-sized Forest Park Pool, the only one of its kind in Fort Worth, and won. The job isn't done, though, some residents say. The city should expand this one-time investment in aquatics across the entire city to meet Fort Worth's long unmet need for public pools, they contend. Swimmers and advocates spent months pressuring District 9 Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck to add $3 million for Forest Park Pool to the upcoming bond, and it worked. The challenge was a baptism by fire, Beck said, but advocating to preserve the Olympic-sized lap pool and securing the money was well worth it in the end, she added. Chris Reed, who started a petition to save Forest Park Pool, said he still hopes Beck goes beyond the task of a 50-meter pool "because the demolition of neighborhood pools is symptomatic of a culture in Fort Worth City Hall that has been so cost-conscious." Forest Park Pool is one of two pools provided by the city to serve over 900,000 people living in Fort Worth. A 2017 study found that 79% of children from low-income families have little to no swimming ability. This puts them at a greater risk of drowning, said Ricardo Avitia, co-founder of Hemphill No Se Vende that advocates against gentrification and informs residents living in the Hemphill corridor. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.