Garland city leaders are considering closing a rec center and pool as they finalize next year’s budget.
City staff cite aging infrastructure, irreplaceable parts and expensive upkeep as some of the reasons they recommend closing and eventually demolishing the Bradfield Recreation Center and Pool.
Discussion about potentially closing the pool and rec center began in June, when the city council received a preliminary proposal to “decommission” the facility.
The Bradfield Pool and Recreation Center are not part of the city manager's recommended budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins in October. If the city council votes Monday in favor of closing the facilities, demolition would cost a little over $381,000, according to staff.
The Bradfield pool and rec center opened in 1975 and have outlived their life span, staff said. It costs about $650,000 a year to operate them.
“This is just to keep the lights on,” Uriel Villalpando, managing director of facilities, told council members at a work session last month. “Nothing guarantees that in three years, five years, something else is not going to break.”
The closest pools are Surf & Swim — about 7 miles away — and Holford Recreation Center, about 4 miles away.
Under the proposed plan to the council, full-time staff at Bradfield would be assigned to other recreation centers, such as Fields and Holford, or the Garland Senior Activity Center.
At the work session, council member Ed Moore brought up concerns from constituents who would like to keep the rec center and pool open.
“They seem to feel that we find money for anything and everything else we want to find money for, so why not this?" Moore said. “So for that council person that may have to just say that 'no, it's time for this facility to be demolished,' how would we message that in such a way that is palatable?”
Other North Texas cities such as Dallas and Mesquite are facing similar decisions to possibly close or make cuts to public facilities, such as libraries and rec centers.
Garland City Council will make a decision on the future of Bradfield Recreation Center and Pool next week when they finalize the city budget.
City council member Justin Caraway, who represents the district where the pool is located said the city has to make “tough sacrifices and make those tough decisions.” He said it’s been a “mixed bag” of reaction from the community – generations of families go to the Bradfield pool.
“I think that a lot of people are looking at this potential closer, saying that it's a forever thing, and that's truly not the case,” Caraway said.
The pool wasn’t included in a 2019 bond package, some of which went toward the city’s splash pads and parks. Staff said at the time the facility was “better than others” that needed improvements. Caraway said there’s the possibility of a future bond to raise the $2.2 million needed for repairs and improvements at Bradfield.
“Hopefully we can land another bond and we can look to rebuild and make it bigger and better than what it was before,” Caraway said.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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