Residents, coaches urge Johnson City to repair Freedom Hall pool after abrupt closure

Dozens of residents and swim coaches pressed the Johnson City Commission on April 9 to prioritize repairing Freedom Hall pool after the facility was taken offline for safety reasons.

"Repairing Freedom Hall would give us a stopgap and give us time to do a new pool right," said Andy Morse, a Johnson City parent and community advocate, who told the commission a $750,000 repair could buy eight to 10 years of continued use and relieve pressure on the Memorial Park Community Center pool. "For many of us, only 8 to 10 more years of use sounds pretty good."

Several speakers described immediate programmatic impacts. Megan Williams, a swim coach and Parks and Rec advisory board member, said moving programs to MPCC will force reductions in lessons and teams and leave the city without a competitive facility. "Repairing Freedom Hall would give us a stopgap and give us time to do a new pool right," she said.

Student swimmer Annalise Price said the pool had been her "second home" for 11 years and described teammates already considering transfers because Science Hill no longer has reliable pool access. John Hughes, who works with student-athletes in the schools, told commissioners the loss of a local competitive pool affects students' academic and social supports.

Chris Caragio, a long-time coach, told the commission that whether the city repairs or razes the facility, the building will require investment; he urged the commission to commit to repair and pledged that local fundraising and grant-writing could supplement city investment if officials sign on to that path.

Not all speakers attributed the closure decision to a single actor. During public comment, Regina Guess criticized the process and said that Kathy Ball, identified in the meeting transcript as the city manager, had "made executive decision to close the pool." That characterization was presented as the speaker's view; Mayor Greg Cox and other commissioners repeatedly framed the closure as a safety decision. At the meeting’s close, Dr. Powell (a speaker on the dais) reiterated that the closure was made on safety grounds and said the commission would continue looking for solutions.

Parks and recreation and public-works staff were asked by commissioners to develop options and timelines; speakers requested an urgent, public plan explaining repairs, estimated schedules and funding sources. Several residents asked the city to commit to repairs quickly so programming and competitive events can continue while officials plan a future, larger aquatics center.

Next steps noted at the meeting: staff will provide additional cost and feasibility details to the commission and the mayor said the city is exploring short-term repair options while working toward a longer-term replacement. The speakers urged the commission to adopt a clear near-term plan and timeline at a public meeting.

Ending: The meeting closed with the mayor thanking speakers and reiterating that safety drove the closure; commissioners said they would continue evaluating repair, demolition and replacement options and get back to the public on next steps.