City reveals plans to build new indoor pool in North Portland

Years after losing a beloved public pool, North Portland is on track to receive a brand-new city aquatic center. The planned North Portland Aquatic Center will open in Northgate Park by 2030.

The 93-year-old Columbia Pool shuttered at the start of the pandemic in 2020, and the city announced its permanent closure earlier this year. According to Portland Parks & Recreation, which oversees city pools, a building inspection of the indoor pool discovered serious structural issues that could create life-threatening hazards. The city estimated it would cost between $5 million and $10 million to repair. Prior to its closure, the pool had been operating at a $450,000 loss annually that was projected to grow, according to the city.

City officials decided it would be less risky to replace the outdated pool with an indoor aquatic center in the same Portsmouth neighborhood. In June, the city announced it would be building the North Portland Aquatic Center in Northgate Park on N Fessenden Street and N Geneva Avenue. The park is a mile northwest of the old pool in Columbia Park.