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Salt Lake City removes promised outdoor pool from Glendale park plans

Salt Lake City removes promised outdoor pool from Glendale park plans

Built World Salt Lake City, UT local

Mayor Erin Mendenhall vowed a pool in 2024; the city now cites cost and operating hurdles, and a splash pad is set to open instead in 2029

October 4th, 2026: Tribune reports the pool has been cut

Overview

Updated Oct 23

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall promised an outdoor pool at Glendale Regional Park in her January 2024 State of the City address. Nearly three years later, the pool is out of the plans.

The city cites cost and operating problems and says Salt Lake County declined to run the pool. The final phase instead has a splash pad built from old Raging Waters slides, a skate park and two pump tracks, helped by a $1 million state outdoor recreation grant. The full park is due to open in summer 2029.

Why it matters

West-side Salt Lake City gets no public outdoor pool, leaving its mostly Latino neighborhoods without nearby summer swimming.

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Key Indicators

0
Outdoor pools in final Glendale park plans
One pool was promised in January 2024; none is in the current next-phase design.
80%
Race Swami swimmers who are Latino
The west-side nonprofit swim team that planned to run lessons at the Glendale pool.
2
Public outdoor pools in Salt Lake City
Both sit east of Interstate 15; the west side has none.
$1M
State grant for skate park and pump tracks
Money from the state Division of Outdoor Recreation for the final-phase wheel sports hub.

Voices

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People Involved

Erin Mendenhall
Erin Mendenhall
Mayor of Salt Lake City
Defends the pool cut as a feasibility decision
MF
Matt Finnigan
Head coach, Race Swami swim team
Disappointed; says west-siders were promised follow-through
MJ
Meredith Jacobsen
West-side resident
Disappointed by the pool cut

Organizations Involved

Salt Lake City Public Lands Department
Salt Lake City Public Lands Department
City department
Manager of Glendale Regional Park; confirmed the pool is out of next-phase plans

The city department that runs Salt Lake City's parks and confirmed the pool is "currently not included" in the park's next phase.
Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation
Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation
County agency
Declined to operate a new Glendale pool

The county agency that operates Salt Lake City's two outdoor pools and its west-side indoor pools, which decided a new Glendale facility was "not feasible at this time."
Race Swami
Race Swami
Nonprofit swim team and lesson provider
Loses a planned home for outdoor lessons

A west-side nonprofit swim team whose swimmers are about 80% Latino, which planned to use the Glendale pool for lessons.

Timeline

October 2021 October 2026

6 events Latest: October 4th, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Tribune reports the pool has been cut

    Latest Reporting

    The Salt Lake Tribune reports the promised pool is out of the plans; city cites fiscal and operational challenges, and the county declined to operate it.

  2. City confirms pool is dropped from plans

    Confirmation

    Public Lands spokesperson Jana Cunningham says the pool is "currently not included" in next-phase designs, though the city website still lists it as of Thursday.

  3. City outlines skate park and pump tracks for final phase

    Plan

    Public Lands planner Kat Andra tells the City Council a $1 million grant from the state Division of Outdoor Recreation will support a skate park and an asphalt and adaptive pump track in the park's southeast corner. The full park is expected to open in summer 2029.

  4. State of the City celebrates Phase One opening

    Statement

    Mendenhall's 2026 address marks Glendale's Phase One opening and lists coming amenities — skating ribbon, boardwalks, skatepark — without mentioning a pool.

  5. Mayor promises a pool at Glendale park

    Statement

    In her State of the City address, Mayor Erin Mendenhall vows the new park "will include a pool." The Tribune reported the announcement the following day.

  6. Raging Waters waterpark demolition begins

    Construction

    Contractors begin disassembling the shuttered Raging Waters waterpark on the west side, clearing the site for Glendale Regional Park.

Scenarios

1

Pool Stays Cut as the Park Opens

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Salt Lake Tribune reporting; city and county statements

Next-phase construction proceeds with the splash pad, skating ribbon, and other amenities, and the park opens around 2029 with no outdoor pool. The city follows through on its existing plan, treating the pool as deferred until a feasible operator or budget appears.

2

Advocacy Restores the Pool

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Race Swami team, west-side residents quoted in the Tribune

Pressure from the swim team and residents pushes the mayor or City Council to add the pool back, possibly with a different operating model — a nonprofit or private operator, or a revised county arrangement. The park was designed to accommodate a pool, which lowers the barrier to reinstating it.

3

County or Outside Operator Steps In Later

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation statements

After the park opens, a revised county recreation plan or a nonprofit operator makes the pool feasible, and it is built in a later phase. This matches the city's stated position that the park is designed to accommodate a future pool if it becomes easier to build and operate.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1890s–1940s

Salt Lake City's west-side infrastructure neglect (1890s–1940s)

Open sewers and storm canals ran through the west side's Pioneer Park neighborhood, carrying human and animal waste into the Jordan River. The city installed its municipal sewer system, paving, and piped water in wealthier eastern areas and the commercial center first, leaving the diverse, industrial west side for last.

Then

West-side residents suffered disproportionately high rates of waterborne illness and used outhouses longer than residents elsewhere in the city.

Now

The west side developed a lasting reputation as the part of Salt Lake City that got civic resources late — a pattern residents still cite.

Why this matters now

The cut of the Glendale pool echoes a century of west-side residents watching promised infrastructure arrive later, or not at all.

1950s–1970s

America's municipal pool closures (1950s–1970s)

In the civil-rights era, many U.S. cities closed or restricted public pools rather than desegregate them, and budget shortfalls shuttered hundreds more. As historians such as Jeff Wiltse have documented, public swimming access became sharply unequal by race and income.

Then

Minority and low-income communities lost nearby places to swim, often permanently.

Now

A lasting "swimming gap" persists — children of color drown at higher rates and swim at lower rates than white children.

Why this matters now

The Glendale cut falls on a mostly Latino, low-income neighborhood, repeating a national pattern where pool access tracks race and income.

Sources

(4)
+1
The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City (slc.gov) Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs / community.utah.gov (archived) The Salt Lake Tribune