Austin's Givens Pool, which started undergoing improvements in July 2023, is ready to reopen on June 7. A public celebration will mark the opening starting at 10 am with a formal ribbon cutting, free food, games, and giveaways until noon.
The pool is located at 3811 E. 12th St., inside the 40-acre Givens District Park, a historically African American community. According to the city, the park was acquired in 1957 and got its name from Dr. Everett H. Givens in 1962. The pool was built in 1958, making it about 67 years old.
The new pool will host swim lessons for babies, children, and adults Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the Givens swim team has the space.
Pool improvements were first laid out in the 2018 Council approved Aquatic Master Plan. Because of how the plan classifies a Community Pool, the upgraded pool contains:
- lap lanes
- zero-entry activity pool (for small kids)
- water slide
- spray ground feature
- diving board with well
- gender-neutral bathhouse
- family restrooms
- training/party room
- deck space
- aquatic office space
This project mirrors improvements at the Colony Park Pool, also in East Austin, which were unveiled May 24. Both are part of the city's Arts in Public Places (AIPP) program, meaning both will get public art in the future.
Beyond the improvements required above, renderings show that Givens Pool gets a smattering of circular sun covers that provide shade mostly on patches of concrete beyond the pool deck and at the entrance of the sloped kids' side of the pool. Renderings do not show the location of a water slide, but the project description does include one.
Another unique feature is a dividing wall that extends slightly more than halfway across the line between the lap lanes and the kids' section, which has steps across its entire length.
Funding for the Givens Pool comes from the 2018 G.O. Bond, which set aside $149 million for parks and recreation.
