Fort Worth will see two major pool projects open during Memorial Day weekend.
The city's first aquatics center opens at noon May 25. The moved and improved Marine Park pool is the first pool of any kind to be built new in Fort Worth since 1960.
Children who were at Marine Park on Friday, such as Johnny Marquez's children, are excited.
"Every day, we drive through here," he said. "'Daddy when do they open? When do they open?' Pretty soon; we'll just wait to see what happens.'"
It cost nearly $4 million to install and took just 14 months to be fully completed.
"It's like a smaller version of the NRH20," Marquez said. "I mean, it's well-spent money."
The new pool sits on a different section from the 87-year-old pool it replaces. The old pool was operated for just last summer before the old bath house was demolished and the old pool filled in.
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However, Marine Park isn't the only city pool opening up this summer. For the first time since 2010, Forest Park pool will host swimmers.
"I learned to swim here. I know the mayor learned to swim here," said Richard Zavala, Parks & Community Services director.
The work at Forest Park pool totaled nearly $1 million when all was said and done. Most of that cost -- $500,000, was picked up by The Radler Foundation, a private group. The city covered $330,000 of the repairs, with many architects, builders and others donating time, supplies and work.
Councilman Joel Burns will hold a sneak-peak fundraiser to help pay for the continued operation of the pool on the night of May 23rd. The pool will reopen with a grand opening at 10 a.m. on May 25.
The biggest payoff won't be the 40,000 plus people expected at Forest Park or the 25,000 at Marine Park, Zavala said.
"We can teach somebody how to swim so they can enjoy the water safely," he said.
It took just six months for the Forest Park pool to be renovated. Zavala said both projects were done with the kind of speed that's not ordinarily seen.
