Heights Pool kicks off another season today
ALAMO HEIGHTS — If you’re looking for a way to cool off during this weekend’s triple-digit heat, you’re in luck: Heights Pool opens today.
The 2-acre property at 250 Viesca St. — next to the Judson Nature Trails and Billy Blake Park — houses three pools and other amenities. Attendees can reserve a lap lane in the Olympic-size swimming pool, children are welcome to splash around in the shaded kiddie pool, and the most adventurous swimmers can leap into the diving pool off of a board or by way of the 10-foot slide.
Those who want to stay dry can enjoy the basketball court, soccer area or pingpong table on-site.
Hungry after all that activity? Flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, burgers and more are on the menu this summer. And adults seeking a more relaxed experience are welcome to sip beer and wine by the pool.
Saving the pool
Operator Rick Shaw, 70, said most poolgoers are from Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, but the public pool is open to anyone with a season pass.
He said some call the beloved Heights Pool “a little oasis” in Alamo Heights. It’s a place where Shaw said he has seen kids who were once lifeguards return with their families. Shaw has had people approach him in the grocery store long before the season begins to tell him their kids are ready to go swimming.
“You hear that kind of stuff, and it makes you feel pretty good about what you’re doing,” he said.
The city of Alamo Heights opened the pool in 1948. Heights Pool is built on land that the city has leased from San Antonio since 1947, according to Assistant City Manager Phil Laney.
Shaw noticed that the pool was falling into disrepair in 1989 and learned that the city was planning to close the facility. Before he knew it, he had formed Heights Pool LTD and was signing a contract to sublease the pool and run it, ensuring that the facility remained open in 1990 and beyond.
“It was just kind of a knee-jerk reaction to suggest that maybe they lease it,” Shaw said, remembering his conversation with the city manager at the time.
The city of San Antonio remains the property owner and lessor, while the city of Alamo Heights is the pool owner and lessee.
Heights Pool LTD is the pool operator and sublessee, paying $30,000 a year to the city of Alamo Heights to sublease the space.
For years, Shaw would paint the pool during the offseason to maintain the pool plaster. He said that a few years ago, the city invested in replastering the pool and updating the mechanical operations, such as plumbing and filters.
The pool will turn 75 next year.
When to swim
Heights Pool will be open from 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Those same hours run throughout May on weekends. It will be open on Memorial Day.
Starting Wednesday, May 25, the pool is open seven days a week. That first day, it opens at 3
p.m., but for the rest of the season, the hours are 11 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
Back-to-school hours will kick in from Sept. 5 until the pool closes for the season Sept. 15. During this time swimmers can come from noon until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, the hours are 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., and on Sundays they run from noon until 8 p.m.
Passes, photo ID
Those wishing to try out the pool for just one day are out of luck: Heights Pool sells only season passes.
Shaw said it is best to order a pass early in the season since the prices are not prorated later in the year.
Heights Pool is rolling out a photo identification system this year, so when people purchase a pass online, they can upload photos of themselves that pool employees will take a look at each time a visitor checks in to confirm that attendees are not using someone else’s pass.
The season passes are priced as follows, according to the Heights Pool website:
• Family Pass – $595
• Married Couple Pass – $450 (proof of marriage not required)
• Single Parent Pass – $485
• Senior Single Pass – $345
• Senior Couple Pass – $390
• Single Pass – $360
Bites and sips
Since first taking over the pool, Shaw said he has contracted with about five operators throughout the years to manage the bar and grill on-site.
This year will be the first time for Panda Poolside to operate the snack bar and grill. The LLC’S owner, Frederico Sanchez, owns two Chinese restaurants in town: Bamboo on South Flores Street and Panda Brothers on Marbach.
Panda Poolside will be in charge of serving beverages, including beer, wine, lemonade and water. Food options on the menu include a variety of cold and hot sandwiches, salads, appetizers and more. A few of those items:
• Two egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce — $3
• Fruit cup — $4
• Pepperoni flatbread pizza — $7.75
• Three chicken tenders — $5.99
• Quarter-pound burger — $6.99
• Crispy or grilled chicken sandwich — $7.50
• Chicken salad sandwich — $5.99
• Smoked turkey sandwich — $6.99
• Kids grilled cheese with fries — $5.50
• Kids burger with fries — $6.25
“Party packages” also are available, with larger portions meant to feed a small crowd.
The grill’s menu will be limited until May 25 when a full menu will be offered, according to the Heights Pool pass agreement that pass holders are required to sign.
Outside ice chests, food and beverages are prohibited. But since the grill will be closed Monday through Friday once the school year starts, people will be able to bring their own food and drinks on those days.
Lessons and parties
Swim lessons are offered at the pool throughout the summer. Twoweek group lessons will cost learners $130. Oneon-one private lessons cost $35 per student for a 30-minute session. Semiprivate lessons, which include two students, will cost $20 per student for 30 minutes. Even if a person does not have a pass to the pool, they can take lessons there.
Shaw said the pool is a popular spot for birthday parties in the summer. Only pass holders can hold parties.
Parties for 25 guests cost $75, and parties with 50 guests cost $125. The fee will get the party host a covered seating area for two hours. Guests have to leave after the two-hour mark unless they themselves are pass holders. The price includes setup, serving and cleanup.