AUSTIN, Texas — For at least 17 years, Barbara Scott, the president of the Colony Park Neighborhood Association, has been advocating to build a pool for her neighbors.
"Our children had to cross 183 and go to Bartholomew or either go to Dottie Jordan if they wanted to swim," Scott said. "The biggest challenges we had was being able to get on a bond to get the pool."
Ashely Jackson is a mother who just moved to the Colony Park area about three months ago from California and sees the benefits of having a pool close to her family.
"It would be really beneficial for people who necessarily don't want to have a club membership or can't necessarily afford it but still want to have a good, you know, a good childhood for their kids as far as learning how to swim and swimming," Jackson said.
Thanks to the help of community leaders like Scott, the city of Austin included funding to build a pool for the Colony Park neighborhood in 2018 next to the District Park.
A soft opening was supposed to happen this January, but a Parks and Recreation spokesperson confirms it is delayed after two break-ins more than a week ago. The spokesperson said windows were broken, equipment was stolen and copper was removed from the bathhouses and mechanical rooms.
APD confirms officers responded to a call of trespassing on Thursday for a report of a person attempting to steal property.
"It is disheartening. I am not a weepy person, but I felt like crying. I just hope and pray that it was nobody in the community that did that," Scott said. "You're affecting an entire community. And this community has waited for years to get whatever we get."
Despite the setbacks, Scott is determined to give her neighbors what they deserve.
"We are not city council people. We don't have any dreams of running for any office. We just want our neighborhood to look like other neighborhoods," Scott said.
A Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson confirms a new soft opening will be decided after all the damage is assessed.