Here’s the thing: Kids these days think Tietze pool is boring. Sure, it’s great for swim lessons, but where are the slides, the fountains and, you know, the waterworks?
That’s why the Tietze Neighborhood Family Aquatic Center, the crown jewel of Tietze Park on Skillman in East Dallas, is set to receive a full redesign.
On Tuesday evening Mark Hatchel, the senior park planner of Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and also the key consultant for the project, met with neighbors to chat about the makeover and glean neighbors’ thoughts about whether they prefer a more traditional lap pool or something with a little more pizzazz — i.e. water slides, play features and basketball goals.
“We just want to get a feeling from you guys tonight about whether you want a play pool or a more old-fashioned pool or a combination between the two,” he explains. “We could do a regular square pool, which is great for sloshing around in, but there’s not a whole lot for little kids to do. We think it would be great to have some spray and play features where they could sit and play in the water.”
If you’re worried about the City of Dallas turning Tietze into a mini Hurricane Harbor, don’t be.
“Forget anything you’ve heard about us building a water park,” Hatchel says. “This is your neighborhood pool. This is a small facility, so we’re not talking about a lazy river or big water slides.”
With a $2,600,000 budget for the project, the city plans to rebuild the pool with a similar amount of water — about 3,000-4,000 square feet — but they hope to add shade structures and a slide, if neighbors want it. It would include 2-4 lap lanes, Hatchel says, and the bathhouse would remain as is, as would the parking lot. They plan to reopen the concession stand, although neighbors can continue to bring their own food as well.
“The main thing is that we need to preserve the integrity of the existing buildings and not change the character of them,” Hatchel explains. “The bathhouse will not be remodeled.”
A no-entry play area, which is kind of like a beach area, with shade would be a great way for families with small children to use the pool, and Hatchel says they hope provide some sort of exercise program for seniors as well.
The No. 1 thing neighbors were concerned about is keeping enough space for swim lessons. Several people spoke up to insist that there need to be at least four lap lanes, and Hatchel assured them a combination pool would work for both swim lessons and play.
Hatchel says he hopes to have the design done by the end of the year so construction, which will take upwards of nine months, can begin.
