Swimming pool to open Memorial Day weekend
With the new Doris Roznovak Aquatic Center swimming pool nearing completion, the city is putting the final pieces in place so folks can dive in by May.
The City Council during its Thursday meeting approved awarding YMCA of Central Texas the contract to manage the swimming pool and concession
stand. During the session, which also included approval of a planned data center (see related stories), Taylor also named a new police chief, approved design changes for an electronic switch station and OK’d a contractor for the new City Hall and Justice Center.
The new City Hall and Justice Center will look like one building but operate as two, with different entrances and separate interiors. The Justice Center is the smaller portion on the right. Courtesy of Taylor
Regarding the pool, the YMCA will supply lifeguards and staff for the center.
“There’s a lot of visual obstruction on this pool with the big centerpiece,” said Councilwoman Heather Long. “You have to have (lifeguards) stationed in all places so that every angle of visibility is observed.”
The pool will open on Memorial Day weekend with a ribbon cutting May 23 before the gates are thrown wide for the public.
Swimming season will run from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day, or Sept. 7. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-8 p.m. on Sunday.
Day passes for the pool will be $1 higher than before, ranging from $3-$4. Children under age 3 were previously allowed in free but will now be $2.
The Parks and Recreation Department is estimating 175 visitors per day at the new facility, an increase from 117 at the old pool. The capacity is 320 people.
The city has contracted with the YMCA for pool management services since 2010, and the agency managed the old Murphy Park Pool through its final season in 2024.
Four companies entered the bidding process for the new pool, but YMCA had the lower priced offer at $175,000.
The center is at 1600 Veterans Drive in Murphy Park.
Chacon takes charge
The council confirmed Joseph Chacon as the new Taylor police chief at the session Thursday, with his swearing-in planned April 8 at the Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St.
Chacon is the former chief of the Austin Police Department. He was chosen from a field of four candidates for the top-cop slot including Joseph Branson, a longtime Taylor veteran who acted as interim chief after Henry Fluck retired in September.
Chacon will be leaving his job as the emergency services director of Pflugerville to take the new position in Taylor. His law-enforcement career stretches across 31 years of service. From 2021-23, he was Austin’s chief.
“I believe in earning the public trust every single day in both our words and our actions. The residents of Taylor deserve a Police Department that is transparent, that displays trustworthy motives and that exhibits the best of this noble profession on a daily basis. I promise to give maximum effort every single day,” Chacon said.
The new chief said his priority will be to ensure residents are not only are safe but also feel safe.
Oncor substation approved
After being asked to modify the design for a more pleasing street view, Oncor Electric Delivery brought back its Muscovy Switch employment zone plan for approval at Thursday’s meeting.
The new plan now features 8-foot masonry walls around the electrical structures in addition to the 6-foot berm along U.S. 79 near FM 3349.
Council approved the ordinance with the requested change. The issue of where new transmission lines will be routed remains undecided.
General contractor chosen for Justice Center
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors has been chosen to build the new City Hall and Justice Center with a guaranteed maximum price bid of $39.89 million for construction. They were selected from among four companies that submitted bids.
The project is being funded through certificates of obligation.
The general contractor will oversee all the subcontractors. The city has received 287 bids from subcontractors covering 45 different projects as part of the building construction, council members heard.
Work on the facility is expected to finish in October 2027.
A groundbreaking ceremony is 10:30 a.m. April 10 at 300 E. Second St.
