MANSFIELD — What should Mansfield’s next public pool look like? Residents began answering that question Monday night — one sticker dot at a time.
Residents moved through North Lake Park Pavilion, studying display boards and marking the features they want in a future public pool.
City officials hired Counsilman-Hunsaker and Associates Inc., a nationally recognized aquatics consulting firm, to lead a comprehensive public pool feasibility study for Mansfield.
The city has not had a public pool since the Liberty Park pool closed in 2021 due to major maintenance issues. That scenario has increased interest in building a new facility.
Boards lined the pavilion walls with images of indoor and outdoor aquatic amenities, from lap pools to splash features. Attendees placed sticker dots beside their top choices, then answered questions about programs and priorities.
George Deines, a project director with Counsilman-Hunsaker, said community input will drive the study.
“Our process is meant to engage the community so that we hear from the community and what they would like to see,” Deines said. “This helps us to frame what the need is here in Mansfield for aquatic facilities.”
He said the firm will continue collecting feedback through a community survey set to launch soon. The full feasibility study is expected to take four to six months.
Deines said the study will conclude with a report detailing identified needs and also cost projections.
Indoor vs. outdoor debate surfaces
The study will outline potential indoor and outdoor options, along with projected costs for building and operating each.
As residents moved from board to board, one idea surfaced again and again: why not both?
Deines said each option carries trade-offs.
“With an indoor, you get it year round, but it has higher capital and operational costs because it’s open longer,” he said.
Outdoor pools offer a classic seasonal experience, but face different challenges, he said.
“With seasonal aquatics, that’s just such a great family experience and how most people are first introduced to the water – through the local outdoor swimming pool,” Deines said.
Staffing shortages and shorter summer seasons due to much earlier school openings have reduced the traditional 100-day swim season (when summer break used to be Memorial Day through Labor Day) to roughly 65 to 80 days (with some schools now starting the second week in August).
That has pompted some communities to rethink investments in outdoor facilities.
Still, Deines said, preferences remain about half and half.
Another common suggestion brought up by residents was accessibility. Several notes on the board regarding features they would like to see included easy access for all and steps to get in and out, rather than ladders.
This was represented by the sticker dots as well, with beach entry being one of the most important features residents would like to see in an outdoor pool.
Residents weigh access, location and use
For some attendees, year-round access tipped the scale.
Kimberly Moton, a Mansfield resident and former 6th Ward Councilwoman, said an indoor facility could support a wider range of uses.
“When I talk about tournaments, they can be diving, regular swimming, laps and it can be utilized more if we have it indoor,” Moton said.
She also raised concerns about where the city might place a new facility — noting residential areas would be more beneficial than business areas.
“It could cause more problems, especially Park Avenue because of what already transpires in the summer,” Moton said. “I just think it wouldn’t be a good idea. I think it would be better in a residential area.”
Louis Andres, the city’s public works director, said feedback so far points toward a blended approach.
“We need the indoor because we only have a short window in the summer,” Andres said. “But then we have the people who love the hot days and being in the sun.
“You build it, they will come.”
That mentality, Andres said, guides the city’s approach. Representing Mansfield’s needs while planning for future growth is vital for the project.
“Our idea is to build a facility that will meet Mansfield’s growth,” he added. “We could build something today, but we know we’re going to grow — we want to make sure whatever we build has the capacity for the future,” Andres said.
“Some of the things we’re learning are recreational space, tournament space, programs like exercise for seniors and swim lessons. Looking at that (the boards), we’re seeing that pretty much is what they’re looking for.”
The timeline is completely dependent on the cost of the project, Andres said. Cost will always be an issue.
The city attempted to raise funds for a new pool and other parks improvements in May 2022 with a 1/4-percent income tax proposal. City residents voted it down.
“We’ll have to look at how can we fund that, can we do it in phases, or are there elements we can not do and still meet what most the people need?” Andres said. “We’re going to have to play around with those figures, but the first thing is figuring out what people want and giving us an idea of what it will cost.”
(Photos from the aquatic center open house Monday evening. Credit: Hannah Martin)
