Public meeting planned to inform citizens about Ewert Pool study

A public meeting is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 20 to allow Joplin citizens to learn more about the current status of the Ewert Park Pool study.

Consultants from Water’s Edge Aquatic Design will have a formal presentation including results from the community survey and concept options. The meeting will be held in the gymnasium of McKinley Elementary, 610 Forest Avenue. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. and will take approximately one hour, with a question and answer session following.

This meeting is part of the City’s study to review the current facility and look for ideas to best serve our citizens in this area. Citizen input was gathered from an in-depth survey about Joplin pools, recreational preferences, and possible park facilities in the future. Citizens also attended a public meeting when the study was launched to view possible ideas for Ewert Pool and surrounding area. Members of Waters Edge have also  reviewed the current facility to complete an assessment and will include their findings in discussions and presentations.

Ewert Pool was first opened in 1925 and was one of five pools in Joplin in the 1940s and 1950s. In 2003 it was renovated into Joplin’s first aquatic center through the passage of the Parks and Stormwater ¼-cent sales tax in 2001. Today the City also offers swimmers two other choices with Cunningham Aquatic Center and Schifferdecker Aquatic Center. Of the three pools, Ewert Pool sees the least number of visitors during a normal season.

For more information about the Ewert Pool study, please visit www.joplinmo.org/parksurveys .