For the last two years, Overland Park residents have taken part in a number of surveys and public input sessions for a long-range plan called “Playbook OP,” and public pools were a strong part of the plan. Residents overwhelmingly favored small, neighborhood pools such as the one at Stonegate.
On Monday, July 20, 2026, the Overland Park City Council — sitting as a “committee of the whole” — voted 7-to-5 to ignore the express wishes of much of the community and follow “staff recommendations” for large “regional pools” instead.
A “committee of the whole” is an informal group made up of the entire city council, which can vote to make recommendations to the council but cannot take final action, which must be done in a formal city council meeting. Final action will be taken by the council sometime in August or September.
Ward 2 Council Member Drew Mitrisin, in a post on Facebook, expressed extreme frustration.
“This post will not build me any political goodwill with colleagues and city staff, but after years of discussion on aquatics there are a few things I need to say on behalf of thousands of Ward 2 residents,” he wrote. I feel gaslit, but mostly, I feel sad.
“Upon the closing of Bluejacket pool, residents were told that if they participate in the Parks and Recreation long-range plan, Playbook OP, and make their voices heard that pools are a priority in our community, the City would rebuild a pool at Bluejacket Park. So, throughout a 2+ year process, at every opportunity, supporters of Bluejacket Pool told the city they wanted a pool. In surveys, focus groups, steering committees, and on and on. At one point, there was a concern that despite this being a citywide engagement effort, we were getting too much feedback from one part of town, so the City decided to do a statistically valid citywide survey. That survey affirmed a desire for pools, specifically in North OP.”
Playbook OP’s recommendation — known as “option 2” — compiled by consulting firm the ETC Institute, was for a “regional + community pool model,” which would have included renovating Young’s Regional Pool and TRAC, building two community pools north of I-435 and moving forward with the design of Bluejacket Park while holding space there for a pool.
Instead, the council voted to go with staff recommendations — known as “option 1” — over the study they paid for, which kept the Youngs and TRAC recommendations, but omitted the pool space at Bluejacket Park and building a new southern regional pool within the next 10 years.
At least one council member suggested a regional pool in the part of the city he represents would attract outside visitors.
“We should be moving to a regional model because I think it attracts the most people to our facilities, and it includes the south part of Overland Park, which I happen to represent,” Councilman Christopher Newlin said. “But having a regional pool that has massive slides, has a lazy river, has things like that will attract people overall and will be an amenity for all, not only in this city but beyond.”
However, overall attendance at all of Overland Park’s pools is down significantly since highs in 1995, making it unclear that a large waterpark would attract anyone outside of the community.
KSHB reports that — like Mitrisin — residents are upset.
“To not be heard was like a huge slap in the face,” resident Rachel Shuck told the TV station. “This is important for us to have this gathering space, and so I was really hopeful that the city council and the city staff would listen to our community.”
According to KSHB, a spokesperson with the City of Overland Park told them in an email that the regional and community pool model would cost $94.1 million. The regional pool model is estimated to cost $70.1 million.
“Playbook OP identified a $93.8 million maintenance deficit and a total of $276 million funding deficit if all Playbook OP projects were implemented,” the TV station reports Meg Ralph said. “The cost difference between [the two pool models] is $24 million. The cost difference and maintenance deficit is significant enough that staff’s professional opinion was that the regional and community pool option was not financially feasible.”
However, community pools almost always run at a significant deficit.
“I don’t think it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do,” Mitrisin told KSHB. “I think that the fiscally responsible option was to be responsive to our community and build the neighborhood and community pools that they asked for.”
