Denison plans swim services move after Waterloo Pool closure

By GvilleTX Newsroom

Denison plans to transfer Waterloo Pool’s swim services to Austin College after structural hazards prompted City Council to close the pool indefinitely, the city announced Sept. 15, 2026. The city also said it would suspend the optional $5 pool fee while weighing longer-term options.

The city said an independent engineer and Denison’s fire marshal inspected the facility in August. Its announcement identified a roof structure that was unstable and inadequately secured, worsening corrosion in supporting beams, and deterioration of the pool’s liner and shell.

Addressing those problems could cost $7.5 million to $10 million, according to engineering estimates cited by Denison. The city described those figures as preliminary and unofficial.

A city staff report dates the pool’s construction to the mid-to-late 1960s. Denison’s closure announcement says the facility was designed for about three decades of service.

The staff report documents structural concerns dating to an assessment begun in July 2023. That review found severe corrosion in anchoring hardware and framing, with roof components also affected. It identified deficiencies in the enclosure’s ability to resist sideways forces.

Council members unanimously chose a repair option that September with a budget of up to $2.4 million, according to the staff report. The report described that approach as a 20-year solution; the replacement alternative was described as a 50-year solution.

The city’s FY2025 amended budget subsequently put projected enclosure repairs at $4.9 million. With funding limited, the budget said, the project had been reduced to approximately $500,000 for emergency structural work and equipment repairs.

That smaller project included an air exchange system, according to the budget. The document projected another five to ten years of operation with good preventive maintenance while the city explored replacing the facility.

Structural concerns also affected when swimmers could use Waterloo. Denison’s September announcement said inspections in 2024 found the pool unsafe to operate in winds above 20 mph. The city said staff had been following that restriction.

The amended budget records another effect on access: it attributed a decline in program participation during FY2024 to a closure for anticipated structural repairs.

In Cooke County, Leonard Park Aquatic Center has already closed for the 2026 season, according to Gainesville’s official aquatics page. Sherman’s Splash website identifies Aug. 9 as its final operating day this season and says the aquatic center will return in May 2027.