Study of city’s outdoor pools shows 5 of 6 near end of life

The Springfield-Greene County Park Board does not plan to reopen Westport Pool, and four out of the five remaining outdoor pools in the city are within five years of the end of their life.

Now, according to Director of Parks and Recreation Ron Schneider, the park board needs to take a long look at what to do about the problem.

The dire assessment was the takeaway from a commissioned study of Springfield’s outdoor pools, only four of which – Fassnight, Silver Springs, Meador and the McGee-McGregor Wading Pool – are open this season.

The Grant Beach Pool, which has been closed for repairs to its bathhouse following April 2025 storms, will reopen for the 2027 swim season, Schneider said. However, he added, Westport Pool, which had significant leaks requiring the pool water to be turned over three times per week before closure, would require $1 million in repairs to reopen.

“A decision has to be made about the future of aquatics at Westport,” Schneider said.

The study did not address the city’s two indoor pools, located at the Chesterfield and Doling family centers.

The study was performed by Kansas City-based Waters Edge Aquatic Design LLC at a cost of $47,000, Schneider said.

Life expectancy
The report’s introduction explains its scope, which is to provide an understanding of pool conditions and to establish priorities and recommendations for repair, replacement and other considerations for each.

Key components of the study were identified as a conditions assessment, including an estimate of life expectancy, with recommended improvements and associated magnitudes of cost.

The study found that the McGee-McGregor Wading Pool, located adjacent to Phelps Grove Park on the corner of Bennett Street and Holland Avenue, is in the best shape of the outdoor pool facilities, with six to 10-plus years of life remaining.

Though closed for the current season, the Grant Beach Pool, located in Grant Beach Park at 1401 N. Grant Ave., has the second-longest life expectancy at six to 10 years, the report said.

The report puts three pools near the end of their lives, with one to five years remaining. They are Fassnight, at Fassnight Park, 1305 S. Main Ave.; Meador, at Meador Park, 2600 S. Fremont Ave.; and Silver Springs, at Silver Springs Park, 1100 N. Hampton Ave.

The Westport Pool, at Westport Park, 3125 W. Lincoln St., is at its end of life, the study finds.

Improvement costs range from several hundred thousand to several million dollars, the assessment states.

The report offers a summary of each outdoor pool.

• Fassnight, built in the 1920s, was most recently renovated in 2008. Its condition was assessed to be very poor, with multiple areas of failing concrete, delamination and spalling. The report notes cracking and efflorescence at the top of the pool wall, with missing grout, staining and peeling paint. No water loss is reported.

Fassnight’s wading pool is reported to be in poor condition, and its splashpad area is average. The perimeter deck is assessed as very poor, with 75% of it showing significant cracking and signs of movement. Its mechanical system, replaced in 2018, is average, and its chemical systems are very poor, with an erosion feeder that is likely too small for the pool capacity. The main pool is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and there is no family changing room.

• Grant Beach was built in the 1980s with a renovation in the early 2010s. The report notes that it undergoes regular vandalism. The main pool condition is poor, with cracking and efflorescence at the top of the pool wall, missing grout and concrete degradation noted. The piping and stainless-steel gutter system are original and near the end of their useful life. There is a history of water loss.

The perimeter deck is poor, with signs of movement and settlement. The aquatics mechanical system is average, but frequent backwashing is reported. Chemical systems are very poor. The pool is ADA compliant, though restrooms are not, and the exterior envelope is assessed as poor.

• The McGee-McGregor Wading Pool – a free amenity, unlike the other pools, which have entry fees – was built in the 1960s and offers water with a maximum depth of 24 inches. Its condition is assessed as good with no water loss reported. The pool is not ADA compliant, but its perimeter deck, aquatics mechanical system and exterior envelope are assessed as good. Its chemical systems are rated very poor.

• The Meador Pool was built in the 1960s and has the only lap lanes in the outdoor pool system, though the length is just under 50 meters due to the addition of a stainless-steel gutter.

The main pool condition is very poor, with degrading and spalling concrete and cracking in the pool walls and the floor. Water loss is noted. Its wading pool is assessed as poor, with rusting, repairs and missing grout. The perimeter deck is poor, though the aquatics mechanical system is average. Chemical systems are very poor.

The main pool is ADA compliant for entry and exit, though the wading pool is not. Restrooms are not ADA compliant.

• The Silver Springs Pool was built in the 1970s with a renovation in the early 2010s. Its main pool condition is poor, with deterioration, delamination and spalling noted in the pool wall, with missing grout, persistent patching and several areas of cracking. There is a history of water loss.

The pool’s perimeter deck is assessed as average, while its aquatics mechanical system is good. Chemical systems are poor. Neither the pool nor its restrooms are ADA compliant. [GP1.1]The exterior envelope is assessed as good.

• The Westport Pool was built in the 1970s with renovation in the early 2010s. Its condition was assessed as very poor, with failure and cracking of the gutter, cracking of pool walls, concrete failure in the dividing wall and cracking of the floor. Significant water loss is reported.

The perimeter deck is average to poor with deterioration and missing caulk along joints. The aquatics mechanical system is good, but chemical systems are very poor. The pool is not ADA compliant and neither are restrooms. The exterior envelope is assessed as average.[GP2.1]

Pool usage
The report points to a city population of 173,000 in 2025, an increase of 23% over 35 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median age is 36, with just over a fifth of residents under the age of 20 and 23% above 59.

Population density is highest near the intersection of the city’s four council zones, roughly near the area just north of the Fassnight and McGee-McGregor pools. Each zone has at least one pool. The report places Grant Beach and Westport in Zone 1, Silver Springs in Zone 2, Fassnight in Zone 3 and McGee-McGregor and Meador in Zone 4.

Size-wise, Fassnight is the largest pool, with just over 18,200 square feet of water and maximum patron occupancy of 1,070. Next, in order, are Meador, 9,200 square feet, 552 occupancy; Grant Beach, 6,300 square feet, 360 occupancy; Westport, 5,000 square feet, 287 occupancy; Silver Springs, 3,000 square feet, 159 occupancy; and McGee-McGregor, 1,300 square feet, 85 occupancy.

A 2026 National Recreation and Parks Association park metrics report cited in the commissioned study maintains that for a population size of 100,000-250,000, there should be one outdoor swimming pool per roughly 60,000 people and one waterpark per 147,662 people.

“Applying this ratio to Springfield’s estimated 2025 population, it would be anticipated that Springfield may offer three outdoor swimming pools, with opportunity for one of those to be a waterpark/regional facility,” the report states, while adding that this statistic should be considered alongside other metrics, like the amount of water surface offered, cost recovery and budget goals.

The report states that cities of similar makeup and population sizes to Springfield’s offer an average of 0.28 square feet of outdoor pool water per capita, with a range of 0.08-0.65.

Springfield currently offers 42,960 square feet of water, which is 0.25 square feet of water per capita, very close to the expected target for population size.

Next steps
Schneider said the park board is still processing information from the study, and three of the parks containing outdoor pools – Fassnight, Silver Spring and Grant Beach – are undergoing site master planning. New site plans are going to be developed with significant public engagement for each. Master plans are scheduled to be presented to the park board and Springfield City Council in the spring of 2027, he said.

“There’s an opportunity to engage the public regarding what the future of aquatics looks like,” he said.

Schneider said the timing of the master planning effort is good, as the study data can be helpful to the process.

“We know going into those planning efforts that something needs to be done with these pools. It can’t be the status quo,” he said.

Schneider said something has to be done quickly about the city’s outdoor pools.

“The clock is ticking,” he said.

He added that the need for investment in pool facilities is the driving force behind the study, which he said will keep the board from throwing “good dollars after bad.”

“We’re taking a data-informed approach to how we’re using our taxpayer dollars,” he said.

Schneider said the city’s pool attendance is low compared to national averages, making the cost per user very high.

The report notes cost recovery for the pools is below the benchmark target of 60%-70% at 24% with an annual subsidy of over $420,000, and lower revenues and attendance and higher expenditures per attendee than benchmark figures.

“The outdoor pools in Springfield typically have around 28,000 guests annually,” the report states. “This is approximately 0.16 visits per capita. This is compared against benchmarks in the range of 0.5-1.5 visits per capita.”

Schneider said the pool landscape has changed since the facilities were built, with numerous private pools.

Jenny Fillmer Edwards, public information administrator for the parks, added that many homeowners associations, apartment buildings and neighborhoods are filling that gap. Additionally, nearby cities, including Republic, Nixa and Ozark, all have new pools with new features that Springfield doesn’t offer.

Schneider added that life in the Ozarks means access to rivers and streams for additional recreation opportunities.

The average number of annual visitors across all six pools is 25,000-30,000 per year, Schneider said.

“It should be three times that, at least,” he said.