Yuma approves yearlong study on future aquatic needs, Kennedy Pool viability

The Yuma City Council approved a nearly yearlong aquatics feasibility study that will help decide what comes next for Kennedy Pool, a decision that could shape summer access, swim lessons, youth training and heat relief across the city.

The $138,260 study, awarded through the Omnia Partner Network, will review existing aquatic facilities, gather community input, evaluate possible sites and recommend future aquatic amenities. It will also assess Kennedy Pool’s future viability. City officials tied the work to the Parks, Arts, Recreation and Trails Master Plan, saying the broader planning effort is meant to guide how Yuma develops and maintains parks and recreation services.

Kennedy Pool remains closed at 890 E 24th St. in Yuma. The city describes the facility as a 50-meter by 65-foot pool with a 212-foot slide and a separate 2,400-square-foot leisure pool. Its future has been at the center of public debate for years, with residents repeatedly pressing for some kind of reopening or replacement at Kennedy Park.

That pressure was visible again on Feb. 4, when dozens of swimmers and community members packed a City Council meeting to urge officials to reopen the pool. Supporters, including members of Yuma Heat Swim, warned that limited pool space has led to overcrowding and made long-course training harder for local swimmers. Families also pointed to the pool’s role in swim lessons and as a place to cool off during Yuma’s brutal summer heat.

The pool’s history has complicated any comeback. In 2023, the city found multiple leaks in the filtration system while preparing to reopen the facility. Parks and Recreation Director Eric Urfer said at the time that fixing the piping and filtration issues would cost about $1 million. He also said the city intended to return some type of aquatic facility to Kennedy Park, though the final form could be the current pool or something entirely different, depending on community input.

Mayor Doug Nicholls has said Kennedy Pool had been open only about two months per year before it closed, cost close to $200,000 a year to operate, and had the lowest attendance among the city’s four pools. The city now operates public swimming pool facilities and two water features, while its Parks & Recreation Department maintains more than 600 acres of parks and facilities, including 32 parks, eight neighborhood basin parks, nine athletic complexes, two golf courses and 19 city buildings.

For Yuma families, the study now becomes the key document. It will help determine whether Kennedy Pool has a future, what that future should look like, and whether the city’s next aquatic investment serves Kennedy Park as it is or somewhere else entirely.