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BALTIMORE, MD. (April 27, 2012) – The 2012 Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP) summer pool season begins Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 26, with all six park pools opening simultaneously and operating through Labor Day. The 12 neighborhood walk-to pools will open for seven weeks at the annual Big Splash, June 23.
In addition, five wading pools and three splash pads will be open this season. Further, Solo Gibbs is back after a decade of being closed. The renovated facility returns as a prototype for splash pads as a modern recreational amenity in Baltimore City aquatics.
“We’re very excited about Solo Gibbs,” said Darryl Sutton, manager of BCRP Aquatics. “Baltimore City has the oldest pools in the nation. Converting Solo Gibbs into a model splash pad addresses issues of age and newer health-code regulations. Plus, this is a really fun place. Kids are going to love the activities.”
Earlier this month, it was announced that several walk-to pools would close due to concerns regarding facility conditions and attendance. Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that an additional six walk-to pools will open, utilizing surplus City Foundation donations from the 2010 summer season. BCRP and the Department of General Services are stepping up facility repairs needed to ensure that walk-to pools will be completed prior to the aquatics season.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake has also charged BCRP with providing a thorough evaluation of the aquatics facilities. The evaluation should include a long-term capital plan that includes possible enhancements to park pools, evaluation of the condition and attendance of walk -to pools, ADA compliances, and the possible conversion of walk-to pools to splash pads.
In 2011, only Druid Hill and Patterson Park pools opened Memorial Day Weekend. This year, all park pools will be open on weekends from May 26 until the Big Splash, then operate seven days a week through Labor Day, September 3. The walk-to pools will be open seven days a week June 23-August 12, an increase of one week over the 2011 season.
BCRP will also operate five wading pools this season—all at park pools, with the exception of Druid Hill. The remaining wading pools will continue to be out of operation because they do not have filtering systems and cannot be sanitized, creating an unhealthy environment for public use. The wading pools that will be open have filtration systems, sanitation processes, and meet all current health codes.
As they were in 2011, Callow Hill, Cherry Hill, and Chick Webb indoor pools are open for special aquatics programs and camps Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, June 25-August 10.
Pool admission fees will remain the same, at $1.50 for park pools and $1 at walk-to pools and splash pads.
The 26 City-operated pools and splash pads that will be open this summer season include:
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Park pools: Cherry Hill, Clifton, Druid Hill, Patterson, Riverside, Roosevelt. (Weekends May 26-June 16, then open daily June 23-September 3)
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Neighborhood walk-to pools: Ambrose Kennedy, Central Rosemont, C.C. Jackson, City Springs, Coldstream, Farring-Baybrook, Greater Model, Liberty, O'Donnell Heights, Towanda, Walter P. Carter, William McAbee. (Open daily June 23-August12)
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Indoor pools: Cherry Hill, Callow Hill and Chick Webb. (Operating on a limited basis for water aerobics classes, programs, and rentals)
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Splash Pads: Solo Gibbs, North Harford, Walter Sondheim (Inner Harbor). (Walter Sondheim open April 1-November 1; Solo Gibbs and North Harford open June 25)
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Wading Pools: Cherry Hill, Clifton Park, Patterson Park, Riverside, Roosevelt. (Same schedule as park pools)
Please visit www.baltimorecity.gov/recnparks for program details and hours of operation.
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