LONGVIEW, Texas — As it stands today, the Longview Swim Center is set to be demolished.
City Council voted to close the Longview Swim Center at a previous council meeting, and that decision was made official Thursday night when council approved the funds to make the demolition of the Center happen. It’s an unfortunate outcome for the many folks that came to advocate for the center.
"Not having it here is… it’s going to be really sad. I grew up two blocks away from here, I walked here as a teenager to swim with my friends, it’s been here forever," Longview resident Kamie Herrara said.
Councilmembers have not decided what’ll happen to the Swim Center after demolition, and currently there’s only one operational outdoor public pool in the city. But, the council wants to regroup in early July to see what the future of Longview aquatics could look like.
"They’re looking at having a work session, where the council can get together to talk where there’s not really items on the agenda, but they can have a real discussion. And they can hear from residents about what residents need, to start figuring out what those next steps will be," Longview City spokesperson Richard Yeakley said.
For now, residents will have to wait and see what could be coming to the swim center next – and beyond that, folks want to see more pools in the entire Longview community.
"But also I think, you know repairing this, but then adding a pool to the southside, and the Spring Hill area is ultimately the best option," Herrara said.
The future of Longview aquatics will be discussed in more detail on July 9, when the council holds a work session where they'll hear from the public.