The Chicago Park District announced that it will extend pool operations and keep select beaches open through Labor Day.
Since nearly 70 percent of seasonal lifeguards are students who will be returning to school, the park district plans to use a phased pool closing with the intent to keep as many public pools open as possible through the official end of summer, the district said in a press release Thursday.
The park district plans to use Chicago’s Heat Vulnerability Index to identify areas within the city with high heat risk and factored in pool capacity, proximity of the pools to one another and the maintenance needs of the pools in determining the pools that will remain accessible to the public for use through September 1st.
Fifteen indoor and outdoor pools are expected to close Sunday with an additional 42 set to shut down August 17, according to the park district. Twenty-two beaches, 19 neighborhood pools, and one inland beach will remain open through Labor Day.
The proposed schedule is dependent on current staff availability, and is subject to adjustment as lifeguards change availability. All modifications to pools schedules will be reflected on the schedules posted at the park and on the park district’s website.
“We work to balance the needs of our residents and young workforce because both our 26-miles of lakefront and our neighborhood pools are vital to safeguarding our residents from the heat this summer,” park district superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said. “By ensuring access to swim opportunities during the summer, we are providing an essential service to some of our vulnerable communities most susceptible to extreme heat.”
Pools with extended schedule
- Armour Square Pool, 3309 S. Shields Ave.
- Austin Town Hall Park Pool, 5610 W. Lake St.
- Avalon Pool, 1215 E. 83rd St.
- California Pool, 3843 N. California Ave.
- Carver Pool, 939 E. 132nd St.
- Douglass Pool, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr.
- Ellis Park Pool, 3520 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
- Foster Pool, 1440 W. 84th St.
- Hale Pool, 6258 W. 62nd St.
- Holstein Pool, 2200 N. Oakley Ave.
- Kennedy Park Pool, 11320 S. Western Ave.
- McKinley Park Pool, 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
- Palmer Pool, 201 E. 111th St.
- Piotrowski Park Pool, 4247 W. 31st St.
- Portage Pool — Outdoor, 4100 N. Long Ave.
- Riis Pool, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave.
- River Pool, 5100 N. Francisco Ave.
- Washington Pool, 5531 S. Russell Dr.
- Whitney Young High School Pool, 211 S. Loomis St.