Fort Worth officials are looking to dedicate $5 million from the city’s 2026 bond program to renovate city pools, construct additional sites and make the public amenities more accessible to residents.
City officials made it a goal to make certain parks and recreational amenities more widely available after residents cited a lack of water recreation facilities. Creating more public pools, aquatic centers and generating more accessibility to those amenities were listed as a major goal in Fort Worth’s recently renewed parks and recreation plan.
Fort Worth currently has four pools open to the public, two of them at the William M. McDonald and Eastside YMCAs. Through a partnership between the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth and city officials, residents can use both outdoor pools without a membership and at the same hours and pricing.
The agreement was made possible after Fort Worth officials poured $2.3 million into the construction of the McDonald YMCA pool. The center also receives an annual subsidy of $78,444.
Through community partnership funds, Fort Worth also invested $250,000 of renovations into the newly revived Eastside YMCA, including a new pool, according to a June 17 City Council report.
The parks and recreation department is requesting $5 million in the 2026 bond program for facility upgrades at the Northpark YMCA.
If the proposal earns favor from voters, the YMCA would match the contribution with an additional $5 million, according to the report. The funds would allow residents to also access the Northpark YMCA pool without the need for a membership.
Through their partnership, parks and YMCA staff are also looking to develop programs that provide therapeutic recreation, youth development, sports and services for older adults, said parks department director Dave Lewis.
He applauded the YMCA for supporting the parks department’s goal in making pools and recreational programs more widely available to Fort Worth residents.
“The YMCA has always been a great partner that’s open to new ideas, new ways of doing things to provide that greater access,” said Lewis.
Parks staff have also met with another local agency to discuss the possibility of turning a privately owned pool into a public site, Lewis said. He did not specify the agency or the potential site.
The funding request comes after council members adopted the updated parks and recreation master plan, called GREENprint, in May, developed to include community input.
Through pop-up events and community meetings held by the parks department, residents reported a lack of public pools, splash pads and riverfront parks particularly in underserved areas of Fort Worth.
Alongside constructing new outdoor swimming pools, the master plan states Fort Worth officials will prioritize providing year-round indoor aquatic activities.
“We have a lot of things in the works,” said Lewis.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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