As the scorching texan sun heralds the arrival of summer, Houston offers its residents a respite with the announcement of the opening of select city pools just ahead of Memorial Day. According to ABC13, eight pools are now open for those seeking to escape the heat and enjoy some community spirit.
Among these aquatic havens, MacGregor Park has drawn locals like Tereca Parks who told ABC13, "We tried another pool, and that pool wasn't open this week. And we tried this pool and it was finally open, so it was exciting. We’ve been trying to swim. It’s been years since I’ve been swimming." Similarly, Samuel Chidera found the pool to be "Peace. It's peaceful. It's close. Social. It's a great way to socialize." As the city gears up for the season, the Parks and Recreation Department anticipates that between 31 to 37 of the city's 38 pools will be operational during the summer months
Relief from the heat will be accessible, albeit within specific hours during the Memorial Day weekend; KHOU reports that pools such as Schwartz and Love in the Northwest, Judson Robinson, Sr., and Northline in the Northeast, and others scattered across the Southeast and Southwest will welcome folks from Saturday to Monday with varying schedules. Post Memorial Day, the city will maintain weekend-only operations until the local school year concludes on June 4, transitioning to full weekday operation beginning June 10.
Prentiss Collins, deputy director for Houston Parks and Recreation Department, emphasized the pools' community function and affordability in a statement obtained by ABC13 "The pool is a common place. Like I was saying earlier, Mo. Whether you can swim or not, or if you want to hang out at the pool, stick your feet in, reading a book, and people want to go there with their friends. And our pools, they're free to the constituents of Greater Houston, so there's no charge to it. There's no hit on the pocket book." With the goal of making pools accessible to everyone, the city has trained about 70 lifeguards, with plans to increase that number to 184 by mid-summer.
