Lubbock’s End Of An Era: Maxey Pool Is Now Being Demolished

Ouch. It's a kick right in the childhood memories- the demolition of Maxey Pool is currently underway. The pool was important for so many reasons, and now it's gone forever.

In case you never swam at a Lubbock community pool, I should give you some context as to why they were a vital part of Lubbock life. First, Lubbock gets air fryer hot in the summer, and the pool was a great option to cool down, especially for folks without access to a private pool, or even folks who lacked good air conditioning. Second, it was a great social exchange- an opportunity to meet up with friends or make new ones. Perhaps the most important reason we attended the pool was to learn how to swim, an incredibly important, life-saving skill.

Also, a bag of pizza-flavored Combos never tasted nearly as good as when you bought them after a swim. And parents, we all cherish the ability to tire a kid out on a restless summer day. No kid sleeps like a kid who swam all day.  

However, pools are expensive to run and maintain, especially as they get older. Most of Lubbock's community pools were downright antique, but now all but one are closed for good. The only remaining municipal pool is Clapp Park. 

Replacing the pools will be splash pads, which are essentially interactive water fountains. Water does not collect at the bottom, which reduces the risk of drowning and uses considerably less water than traditional pools, but does not allow anyone the opportunity to learn how to swim. Splash Pads have also come under some scrutiny for the spread of infectious diseases. The funds to switch from the pools to splash pads come from, "$7.8 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act."

It's the end of an era in Lubbock- and the next has yet to begin, as the new splash pads have yet to be constructed. For now, we are in a summertime fun limbo. Here's hoping our kids have a good option soon.

Thank you to Jeff Sedberry for allowing us to use his photos of Maxey Pool's demolition.