Answer Line: Update on city of Longview’s indoor pool

Published 10:35 pm Monday, July 28, 2025

Jo Lee Ferguson

ANSWER LINE NOTE: The indoor pool at the Paula Martin Jones Recreation Center in Longview has been an item of interest this year. A new liner was installed, but leaks have kept it closed in recent months.

Parks and Recreation Director John Albertson recently shared an update with city leaders on the pool, and the issues are ongoing.

He said Sunbelt Pools, a contractor the city is working with, inspected the pool to identify the ongoing problem of “bubbling” under the liner.

“After extensive testing, they have identified at least 13 hairline cracks in the welds on the front side of the gutter system. It is believed there are likely additional cracks on the backside of the gutter that are not visible and can only be accessed by removing the entire system,” he said in the update.

Sunbelt has recommended replacing the gutter system.

“They have indicated that simply repairing the visible cracks would likely be insufficient, as hidden cracks on the backside are expected to be contributing to the problem,” he said.

Sunbelt will provide the city with options, Albertson said, but no cost estimate was available at the time of his update.

“They were unable to provide one at this time due to the lack of recent comparable projects and the ongoing volatility in the steel market, particularly related to tariffs,” Albertson said.

BIKE LANES: As a follow up to a question I previously answered about the disappearance of the bike symbols on George Richey Road:

The Texas Department of Transportation started this past week on chip seal (seal coat) operations at several locations around Longview. That includes FM 2275 (Bill Stoudt Parkway and George Richey Road) from Gilmer Road east to U.S. 259. TxDOT had said the bike lane markings will be placed on the road again after this project is completed.

Other locations receiving a seal coat are Judson Road, from Hawkins Parkway north to U.S. 259 and Gilmer Road, from Bill Stoudt Parkway north to the Upshur County line.

— Answer Line appears Wednesday and in the Weekend edition. Email questions to answerline@news-journal.com, leave a message at (903) 232-7208 or write to P.O. Box 1792, Longview, TX 75606.