June 14, 2023

11 Philly public pools open this week; here's when all city pools will open

Parks & Recreation will offer free swim lessons, which are mandatory for all summer campers to take

By Brian A. Saunders
PhillyVoice Staff

ELLEN C. MILLER/PHILADELPHIA PARKS AND RECREATION VIA FLICKR

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will open all 61 of its available pools this summer. This week, 11 pools will open, including Mill Creek in West Philly, Hunting Park and Samuel in Port Richmond, all of which opened Wednesday.

Philadelphia will open all of its available public pools this summer, a big jump from last year amid lifeguard staffing shortages.

Coinciding with the last day of school, the city opened Fletcher (Mill Creek) Pool in West Philly, Hunting Park Pool and Samuel Pool in Port Richmond on Wednesday. This week, 11 pools across Philly will open. The remaining 50 pools will open on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.

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There will be an estimated 750 pool staffers, including 350 lifeguards despite a national shortage. Philadelphia offered up to $1,000 to recruit lifeguards, using funds from February's Philly Phreeze, where registered participants pledged money and dove into the freezing water at Kelly Pool.

"Thanks to hundreds of dedicated residents who stepped up and answered our call to work as lifeguards, we are bucking the national trend and on track to open 100% of available public pools this summer," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "Our public pools are a sanctuary for residents on hot summer days and an important place for communities to come together, relax, and recreate."

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"We are opening pools earlier than ever and offering six weeks of swim lessons to thousands of summer campers, so there is a lot to be excited about on the public pool deck this year," Bill Salvatore of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation said. "None of it would be possible without the dedicated support of our incredible city lifeguards and pool maintenance attendants."

The city will require all 6,000 summer campers to take mandatory swim lessons.

Below is a list of Philly pools and the dates they are scheduled to open. An online tool also allows people to search for pools and other recreation facilities.