Will Shreveport’s Pool at Southern Hills Park Ever Open This Summer?

Summer is about to wind down for the year and that means the end to the swimming season for the public pools. The Airport Park pool in Shreveport will remain open through the Labor Day weekend. But will the pool at the Southern Hills Park open at all this year?

What Does the Southern Hills Pool Look Like Today?

I passed by the Southern Hills Park to check out the status of the construction project at the pool. It was nice to see the deck completely finished and it looks like the surface of the pool is almost done. But will it be for water and visitors for this summer? KEEL News reached out to SPAR officials and the Mayor's Office to see if the pool was going to be open this year.

SPAR Director Shelly Ragle sent me this statement:

We are working on a schedule. I will let you know as soon as we have a final plan. The plaster is starting in the morning and filling of pool should start Saturday. 

I would really be surprised if it opens. Lots of landscaping work needs to be done and it really looks like there are still too many hazards around the pool to get it open this year. But we might get a surprise and a few days of fun in the pool.

Erin McCarty

Why Has the Work at the Southern Hills Pool Taken So Long?

I popped by the pool several times this summer to check on the progress and during these visits I rarely saw any work being done. This made me ask lots of questions. And I found the city was dealing with a struggle in getting concrete trucked to the area for the deck work. There was not a shortage of concrete, but there was a shortage of trucks to transport the concrete. Several big projects in town put a big demand on concrete. This includes the Jimmie Davis Bridge, the work at the SLB plant, road construction and many other projects.

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Will the Southern Hills Pool Open at all This Summer?

We only have a couple more weekends for the residents of the area to enjoy the pull and the city has been busy trying to get the pool open, if only for a few days. We do expect the pool to be filled with water this week and then city leaders will have to make a decision about opening the pool up before the summer wraps. The big question is whether or not we have lifeguards ready to staff the pool.

Shelly McMillian with Rock Solid says she has not been informed by the city of a plan to open the Southern Hills pool for Labor Day. Rock Solid has a contract with the city to run the pools. They would have to find the lifeguards to staff the pool if they city made a decision to open it up.