JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In one of the hottest weeks of the year, close to half of Jacksonville’s public pools remain closed to the public.
The city has cited repairs and staffing issues for the closures.
However, on Tuesday, there were signs the city is taking action.
A crew was seen cleaning the Emmett Reed public pool and the water at the Terry Parker High School pool appeared much cleaner Tuesday than it did a few weeks ago.
The city said in a news release 17 public pools were open Tuesday. But more than a dozen other public pools were also closed for the holiday, like at Carvill Park near the Trout River.
“The kids don’t have nothing to do now,” said neighbor Roxy Outing.
But she and her neighbor Zerelda Lewis remembered Carvill Park when their children were growing up.
“It’s a wonderful community,” Lewis said.
President Bill Clinton spoke about his crime bill at the park in 1995 during a multi-state tour.
But now, Outing said Carvill Park isn’t fit to host neighborhood kids.
“The pool is closed,” she said. “The slide is boarded up.”
Mayor Donna Deegan has said it’s important for the city’s public pools to be open for people, and while there is evidence the city is working on the problem by posting lifeguard jobs online and sending crews to closed pools, many in the city are not yet seeing the results.
The city released the following information on pool hours for the 4th of July:
Pools
Cecil Aquatics Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Outdoor pools will be open from 11 p.m. to 6 p.m. The following outdoor pools will be open:
- Andrew Jackson High School – 128 W. 30th St.
- Fletcher High School – 700 Seagate Ave.
- Fort Caroline – 131 Ferber Rd.
- Grand/ Johnnie Walker Park – 2740 Division St.
- Harts Rd/ Eartha Napolean Park – 11597 Harts Rd.
- Julius Guinyard Park – 1358 Jefferson St.
- Lakeshore Middle School – 2519 Bayview Rd.
- Mandarin High School – 4831 Greenland Rd.
- Oceanway Park – 12215 Sago Ave. W.
- Ribault High School – 5820 Van Gundy St.
- Riverside High School – 1200 S. McDuff Ave.
- Sandalwood High School – 2750 John Prom Blvd.
- Thomas Jefferson Park – 390 N. Jackson Ave.
- Westside High School – 5530 Firestone Rd.
- Woodland Acres - 8200 Kona Ave.
- Wolfson High School – 7000 Powers Ave.