Deep in the heart of Texas there’s a pool whose very shape celebrates the Lone Star State.
Known simply as the Texas Pool, this community amenity in Plano is celebrating 55 seasons.
For a facility that nearly shuttered during the Great Recession, it’s no small feat to have reached its emerald anniversary.
“After 55 years, every season that we’re open is, in fact, a celebration,” said Janet Moos, CEO of the Texas Pool Foundation.
Supported by a nonprofit organization, the pool is almost entirely operated by volunteers. Only the lifeguards receive a paycheck.
Maintaining a 168,000 gallon pool on a shoestring budget poses certain challenges. The organization is trying to drum up donations for a renovation, which is why Moos would gladly accept any labor and supplies pool professionals would be willing to provide. (Any contributions would be tax deductible, of course.)
The board also is pursuing an official historic landmark designation, which would help secure much-needed grants. To do that, the foundation would need to demonstrate that the pool is architecturally significant. It’s not the only Texas-shaped watering hole — Moos believes that there are at least two others in the state — but it may be the oldest. Proving that would go a long way toward achieving landmark status. That’s why board members are mining the community for documents going back to the facility’s 1961 opening.
A corporate sponsorship wouldn’t hurt either.
"I wouldn’t mind if we were the State Farm Texas Pool,” Moos joked.
