Spring residents who use the Forest Oaks Swim and Racquet Club will lose their pool when demolition begins Nov. 30 so they can get a larger, modernized one by April 2028.
Harris County Water Control Improvement District 110 (WCID 110) plans to demolish the nearly 40-year-old swimming pool, canopies and support buildings at 19023 Joanleigh Dr. and replace them with a $9.7 million complex. The new facility will include an outdoor leisure pool with a water slide, water playground, zero-depth entry, recreation center and equipment building, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing registered Aug. 1.
Construction is scheduled to begin Nov. 30, with the building phase wrapping up by Dec. 31, 2027, per the state filing. District Manager Brian Mills told Community Impact the amenities should open by April 1, 2028, if not sooner.
The project is the first phase of a master plan the WCID 110 board approved in January.
Why the overhaul
Mills said the district decided to rebuild after pool attendance and swim team participation declined over the past few years. The current pool can hit temperatures above 85 degrees in summer, Aquatics Manager Carlee Nava-Schmidt said.
The replacement pool will have a heating and chilling system, allowing a longer season each year. Its zero-depth entry will make the facility more accessible to users of all ages, Nava-Schmidt said.
The recreation building will double the fitness center's size and add a second-floor viewing deck, covered breezeway, event space, new audio system and two outdoor showers. Mills said the upgrades should let the district offer water exercise classes and year-round swim programs.
"This is an expensive commitment. We don't take that lightly," Mills said. "Every single brick, every light bulb, every speaker that goes in, every toilet that gets installed is being installed with a purpose because we want to make sure that what we're providing is gonna be as good as we can make it."
How it's funded
The $9.7 million price tag will be split between two pots of money. A 2024 voter-approved bond issued about $10 million to WCID 110 for parks and recreation facilities, Mills said. That bond will cover the recreation building and related costs.
The pool cannot be funded by bonds. Under Section 49.4645(a) of the Texas Water Code, water districts are barred from using bonds for aquatics. The pool's share will come from the district's operating funds, Mills said.
Houston-based GPD Group is the design firm, according to the state filing. The project totals 10,586 square feet of new construction. The district has not posted its next board meeting date.
