Jersey Village council votes to demolish aging municipal pool after months of debate

The Jersey Village City Council voted unanimously Monday to authorize the city manager to enter into a contract for demolition of the municipal swimming pool.

Council and staff said the structure has reached the end of its useful life and that repair or refurbishment carried significant uncertainty and recurring costs. City Manager Austin Belize told the council staff solicited demolition quotes and said QR Recycling Construction Services submitted a quote of $49,000; two other quotes were reported in the meeting record but the transcript shows the amounts unclearly.

The vote follows multiple public comments and a lengthy council exchange in which some members urged the council to delay demolition until a replacement plan was identified. One council member said tearing the pool down without a rebuilding plan could leave the community without a long-term amenity; others, including members who cited an independent aquatics firm’s assessment, said repair would be a temporary, high-risk expense and that the current facility presents an ongoing safety and vandalism risk.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitcham and several council members said the timing for planning a replacement belongs in the city’s budget process and capital improvement planning; staff agreed to provide any preliminary information they had to council members ahead of the budget workshop. City Manager Belize told council that salvaged pool equipment and materials would be evaluated for resale to offset costs and that certain pool-associated structures (restroom building and some shade elements) would remain in place for storage and limited use, while the pump house and pool shell would be removed.

The formal resolution approved authorizes the city manager to execute demolition agreements; staff said work was budgeted in the FY2024–25 capital plan in case a bond for a new pool did not pass. No dollar amount for a final contract was specified in the motion on the record. The council’s vote was recorded as passing unanimously; the transcript does not show a roll-call vote with individual yes/no tallies.

The council directed staff to include discussion of future pool options in the upcoming budget sessions and indicated interest in producing a clearer replacement plan for citizens during that process. Several residents and one former council member had presented alternative proposals to replace the pool rather than repair it in place; staff noted those proposals would still require demolition of the existing pool if pursued.