As Wichita pools open, officials count cost of vandalism: ‘It affects everybody’

As Wichita pools prepare to open for summer, city officials are counting the cost of vandalism during the off-season.

Since November, windows have been broken, bathrooms destroyed and graffiti painted on signs at city parks and recreation centers.

“It’s been really really frustrating,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Troy Houtman. “It’s been really upsetting that we spent so much time and effort trying to make these pools really nice for the community and it’s just a handful of some really bad actors and you can’t just blame everybody but just a few of them are just making life miserable.”

Aley Pool, 1803 S. Seneca in Aley Park, has been hit more than a dozen times, Houtman said. Doors have been torn off, furniture and equipment destroyed, a fence cut and rocks and equipment thrown into the pool.

The damages total at about $25,000 at Aley.

The city has wanted to purchase security cameras and fund events like “movies in the pool” but are having trouble finding money for those things because of the cost of repairs, Houtman said.

The city wanted to get ahead on hiring lifeguards to have more staff for flexibility and to avoid burnout. However, they had to slow that process after shifting money to repairs, he said.

Each pool is staffed with 12 to 15 life guards — enough to safely operate this summer, he said. He added that pool hours could be reduced if lifeguard staffing becomes an issue during the summer.

Houtman also said he wants to remind families that the public swimming pools and parks are their property and something that they should take care of.

“Ultimately, when these bad actors hit, it affects everybody,” Houtman said.

Aley is scheduled to open on Memorial Day as planned, along with several other city pools.