KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City officials are discussing how to bring back the Swope Park Pool to its former glory.
That project could cost $27 million.
The pool needs significant work to address floodplain concerns and restore the pool complex to a usable condition.
Quet Sledge remembers every corner of the place.
Sledge started going there every summer and said it was one of her favorite places.
"This pool was bustling,” Sledge said. "It became a staple for the Black community."
But she eventually stopped going to the pool.
“It's just been going downhill as far as upkeep goes," she said. "It's different. It feels different. It's not the park I grew up with. It's like it has erased that part of history."
Chairs are stacked up, weeds are overgrown, and there's just a few inches of rainwater in the pool.
"I think the community would have a sense of pride and a sense of excitement,” says Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw.
Parks-Shaw said funding would come from multiple sources — and part of that money is already saved.
The project was initiated when the city had different leadership, and that means a revision of the funding proposal may be needed.
"We talked about even private funds as well," Parks-Shaw said.
The city is trying to find other funding options.
The money would be used to elevate the pool and address floodplain problems.
Parks-Shaw agreed there are other, more pressing concerns Kansas Citians might have, including money for investment in education or public safety.
“We have a lot of competing interests, a lot of things we need to focus on," Parks-Shaw said. "That's why we'll talk with the people to find out what their priorities are."
In a social media post, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the larger pool at Swope Park, if rebuilt, could also hold local or national swim meets and other aquatic activities.
City officials say there's also a cheaper option — an $11 million outdoor pool at nearby Southeast Community Center.
Even though she has great memories of summers at Swope Park Pool, Quet says Swope Park is not the right place for the investment.
“This will never be what it was,” she said.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
