Q. Why aren't there more public pools?

Graphic by Ian-Alijah Bey

Answered by the Chattamatters team (Email us your questions here)

With just two public outdoor pools (as well as two indoor ones), it can sometimes feel like you have to have an “in” somewhere to find a spot to go for a dip in Chattanooga. In fact, Chattanoogans who responded to a survey published in the recent Parks & Outdoors Plan ranked swimming pools as one of the “most needed” types of facilities — 71% of respondents said Chattanooga has too few pools. 

But actually, Chattanooga has more pools per capita than the average American city, with one pool per 45,500 residents. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want more. 

“The demand is there,” Parks Department spokesperson Brian Smith told us. “Our summers are hot. People love their local pools.”

Two local public pools that were operated by the state for decades — located at Booker T. Washington and Harrison Bay State Parks — both closed in 2020, and are both planned for demolition. 

Robert Thomas, a park ranger at Booker T. Washington State Park told us that the closing of the pools at Booker T. and Harrison Bay were not isolated. The state of Tennessee has closed more than a dozen pools in recent years, he said, as part of a bigger plan to replace pools with other recreational facilities.

There have been some other public pools in the Chattanooga area that have come and gone over the years — pools in Alton Park, East Ridge, and Lincoln Park all served residents at different points in the 20th century. Community pools in Red Bank and Signal Mountain remain in operation and are open to the public for a membership fee or small day rate.

Smith said that the Chattanooga Parks Department actually gets more requests for splash pads than pools these days. Aside from the Coolidge Park fountains and The Passage outside the aquarium, both Warner and Shepherd Park near the airport also have splash pads.

One advantage of splash pads — they don’t require a lifeguard. Meanwhile, both of Chattanooga’s indoor pools have to close twice weekly due to a staffing shortage, which Smith said is a problem nationwide. Despite reduced hours, every public pool will be properly supervised when open, Smith assured.