Houston reduces pool openings over Memorial Day weekend

Fewer than half of the city’s 37 public pools will open in the coming weeks — a result, officials say, of last week’s deadly storm, combined with an ongoing shortage of national lifeguards.

The rate of pool openings represents a much smaller splash than Houston Mayor John Whitmire had hoped for this year when he set a goal of opening all of the city’s pools after the city could only open 23 swimming pools in 2023.

This year, only 12 pools are expected to open.

Although none of the city’s pools suffered major damage from the storm that will require a season-long closure, “they all suffered debris that needs to be removed,” said Ray Derouen Jr., pool manager. aquatic activities at the city parks service.

As a result, the city will open its pools gradually as temperatures climb into the 90s in Houston this week.

The first phase begins on Saturday May 25, with the opening of six groups: Agnes Moffit; Emancipation; Love; Edge of the north road; Westbury; and the Wilson Memorial.

The following weekend, the city will open six additional pools in its second phase: Greenwood; MacGregor; Mason; Schwartz; Study ; and Townwood.

Whitmire said earlier this month that opening all pools was a priority for his administration.

“Many city employees have had to focus on cleaning up debris and restoring some of our infrastructure,” Whitmire spokeswoman Mary Benton said Friday. “The mayor will rely on the parks director to make the best decision regarding the opening of the swimming pools.”

Most pools are closed during Memorial Day weekend

City officials have pressed the parks department to push for equity in the availability of its pools following a Houston Landing survey last year that found that the median household income in ZIP codes where the city opened a public pool was 22 percent higher than the median income. in zip codes where public pools remained closed.

Neighborhoods where pools remained dry in 2023 were also home to more residents of color, according to the Landing’s analysis.

Equity remains a priority for the parks department, Derouen says. But damage from last week’s storm prompted the city to conduct more immediate needs assessments to determine which pools could be opened most quickly.

Currently, there is no estimated timeline for the opening of the third phase of the pools, he noted. The department continues to recruit talented swimmers to join its ranks of lifeguards, and how fast staffing increases will dictate how quickly it opens.

“Our intention is to open all the pools,” Derouen said Friday. “We will open as many as safely possible, based on staffing and operational status.”

Revised Houston Public Pool Schedule

The pools planned for the first phase will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, which corresponds to Memorial Day. These same swimming pools will be open next Saturday, June 1, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The phase two swimming pools will be open next Sunday, June 2, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The parks department is in the process of installing signs at the city’s aquatic centers that will indicate hours of operation, Derouen said.

“Over the next few days, we hope to have the signs deployed as quickly as possible,” he said. “Immediately, anyone can go to houstonparks.org and we have up-to-date information.”

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