Copperas Cove prepares City Park, South Park pools for summer season

Copperas Cove is getting City Park Pool and South Park Pool ready for a summer that will matter most to families looking for low-cost relief from the heat. The city’s two public pools typically open around Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day, making them one of the most affordable warm-weather options in town for both residents and non-residents.

The price list is built for everyday use. Children ages 0 to 2 and seniors 65 and older get in free. Admission is $2.50 for ages 50 to 64, $4 for residents ages 3 to 49 and $6 for non-residents in that same age group. Season passes work at both pools, with resident individual passes at $50, resident family passes at $115, non-resident individual passes at $70, non-resident family passes at $165 and senior passes at $50.

The city is also handling the less visible work that comes before opening day: staffing, paperwork and safety. Recreation Superintendent Caycee Hauck, along with Director Jeff Stoddard, Aquatic/Camp Specialist Chloe Richard, Youth Sports Specialist Cynthia Mingo and the rest of the Parks and Recreation staff, are part of the push to get aquatics ready on time. Hauck said the youth aquatic waiver only has to be completed once, after which the department keeps copies on file at the office and at both pools.

That waiver matters for teens ages 14 to 17 who want to use the pool facility without an adult present. Parents or legal guardians must sign it and show valid documentation, such as a report card, learner’s permit or driver’s license, to verify age. The form also lays out behavior expectations that can lead to a youth being removed for the day or barred from attending without a parent present.

City Park Pool’s lesson schedule is already posted from April 27 through July 27. Each swim lesson session lasts 45 minutes, caps enrollment at eight swimmers per category and costs $62 per participant. The current dates include June 1-12, June 15-26, June 29-July 10, July 13-24 and July 27 onward. The city notes that program dates and times can change.

The pools themselves give Copperas Cove two very different summer drawcards. South Park Pool, at 2602 Dennis St., is a 150,000-gallon facility with 3-foot to 5-foot depths, an enclosed slide and a splash pad. City Park Pool, at 1206 W. Avenue B, sits inside an 88-acre park with picnic areas, grills, playgrounds, sports fields, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, plus a circular slide and a zero-entry children’s area with a mushroom fountain.

The planning comes against a recent backdrop of water conservation concerns in Copperas Cove. City officials temporarily moved to Stage 4A water conservation in 2025 because of a WCID 1 project, then later returned to Stage 1 voluntary conservation after repairs were completed. That experience underscores why the city is preparing early for pool season, especially as summer recreation, youth sports, camp programs and seasonal hiring all ramp up at once.