City Pools Opening Memorial Day Weekend

The city's summer aquatics program gets underway this weekend when Bolton Pool and Winston Waterworks open for the Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30. Both facilities will be open noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Memorial Day, and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 29.

Bolton Pool will open for the summer June 4. Winston Waterworks will again be open the weekend of June 4-5. It, along with Kimberley Park, Mineral Springs, Parkland, Polo and Reynolds Park pools will open for the summer starting June 11. Operating days and hours vary by pool and are posted at WePLAY.ws/pools. The opening of Long Creek Pool has been delayed by construction.

Splash pads are currently open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these pools and parks: Happy Hill, Little Creek, Mineral Springs, Nelson Malloy, Polo, Reynolds Park, Rupert Bell and Sedge Garden.

Non-swimmers less than 48 inches tall will be required to wear life jackets in the pools. Life jackets are not required in the water play areas at Bolton, Kimberley Park and Parkland pools and Winston Waterworks, nor at the splash pads at Polo and Mineral Springs pools.

The city will provide life jackets. Patrons may bring their own life jackets if the life jackets have a stamp indicating that they are Coast Guard approved and pass inspection from the lifeguards.

Children less than 48 inches tall will be asked to take a swim test when they arrive at the pool. If they pass the test, they will receive a green wrist band that allows them to go anywhere in the pool. If they do not pass the test they will receive a red wrist band and a life jacket. They can go in the shallow end of the pool up to 3.5 feet.

The swim test consists of treading water for a minute and swimming 25 yards without touching the bottom. As the staff at a particular pool gets to know the children who attend often, lifeguards may issue green wrist bands to children who they know can swim, without administering a swim test.

Patrons over 48 inches tall will be required to take a swim test if lifeguards observe that they may be poor or non-swimmers. Those who do not pass the test will be issued a life jacket and a yellow wrist band that allows them to go anywhere in the pool except the deep end for the diving boards. Any patron who refuses to take a swim test will have to leave the pool grounds.

Swimmers with red or yellow wrist bands who are caught in the wrong section of the pool will be asked to sit out for 15 minutes. If they are caught a second time, they will have to leave the pool.
All children attending a pool as a day-care or summer-camp activity will be required to take swim tests and follow the wrist-band policy.

All pools offer free swim lessons for children through a lottery system that allows parents and guardians to request lessons at up to three pools, ranked in order of preference. Lessons for the first session of lessons is closed; registration will open June 13 for lessons to be held July 5 - 22, and July 5 for lessons to be held July 25 - Aug. 12. Swim Lessons Information.

Complete information about the aquatics program, pool calendars and hours is available at WePLAY.ws/pools. For more information call CityLink 311.

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