Overland Park will close its aging Bluejacket Pool at the end of the 2024 swim season.
That’s according to a news release from the city Tuesday that says “the pool has reached the end of its useful life.”
“While we recognize the impact this closure may have on our community, it’s a necessary and planned step as we look to the future of our parks and recreation facilities, ensuring we are good financial stewards and making responsible decisions that will benefit our community for years to come,” Parks and Recreation Director Jermel Stevenson said in the news release.
Bluejacket has faced leaking issues recently
Earlier this year, it was questionable whether the 50-year-old pool would open at all for the current season or ever again due to issues with water loss, among other problems.
At a Community Development Committee meeting in April, members of the Overland Park City Council expressed alarm at the amount of water that was being lost at the pool.
At that time, parks staff estimated 1,500 gallons of water were leaking out of the poll every hour due to leaks.
In the city’s current parks plan — adopted in 2013 — Bluejacket Pool was identified for decommissioning, potentially as early as 2023.
Overland Park has already closed both Roe and Marty pools, in line with the recommendations from that same plan.
In the end, though, the city decided to open Bluejacket Pool for the 2024 season in May, though it seemed likely even then that it could be the pool’s last swim season.
It would cost extra $35K to open Bluejacket next year
The news release from Overland Park said the cost to replace the roughly four million gallons of water and chemicals the pool would be expected to lose in a hypothetical 2025 season would be around $20,000.
Plus, additional “basic safety maintenance” that would be necessary to open the pool would cost $15,000 more.
With that in mind, the city decided spending the money on those costs and staffing for the next season “would be imprudent.”
What comes next for Bluejacket Pool?
- The pool sits within the larger Bluejacket Park.
- Exactly what will become of the pool part of the park is unclear, but the city says options will be reviewed in the next year.
- Additionally, Overland Park is preparing a new parks and rec plan, called Playbook OP, which is expected to take another look at the future of the city’s larger pool system.
- In the meantime, Overland Park is planning a free “Final Splash Bash” at Bluejacket from 5 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 6.
Looking back: Overland Park’s Bluejacket Pool has major leaks. Will it ever reopen?
