Tulsa World // News Article Terry Jakober lives about two blocks from Whiteside Park and takes her twin grandchildren to the pool when they visit her. Last year they were able to swim at the pool, at 4013 S. Pittsburg Ave., but without enough lifeguards, the hours were reduced. “We’re thrilled that we have enough lifeguards this year, because last year there were some days where they didn’t have enough and had to close the pools early or stuff like that, so the city’s done a really good job for us this year,” Jakober said. City pools opened Saturday to start the summer season for Tulsa Parks Aquatics with enough lifeguards to support full pool hours. The five pools are open until Aug. 5, according to the Tulsa Parks Aquatics website. About 2,000 people use the pools every day, said Aquatics Manager Nick Pond. The pools have about 30 lifeguards but could always use more certified lifeguards on staff, he said. As the weather gets hotter, pools become more important, Pond said. “I think it’s something that’s very, very affordable to do to stay busy,” Pond said. “I just think staying busy as a kid is important in the summer.” Gabrielle and Edward Melville went to the Reed Park pool, 4233 S. Yukon Ave., on Monday with their children, Togie, Elijah and Henry. “The kids just love the pool, and this is a very reasonable and cheap option,” Gabrielle Melville said. The pools are primarily in places where residents are less likely to have access to private pools, said Anna America, the city’s chief of culture, recreation and parks. “As hot as Tulsa summers get, it’s just really great for kids to have that opportunity to get out, be active,” America said. “For a lot of kids, if they don’t get out into a public pool like this, they may not get into a pool for years.” She said the city had to rotate the closing of individual pools “because we actually moved lifeguards from pool to pool. We didn’t have enough lifeguards to staff all the pools, but now it’s just (back to) normal.” Sarah Kirk, a pool manager at Reed Park, also worked at the city’s pools last summer. “There’s definitely a difference this summer and last summer than there were in previous summers because … you just get to see the same people every day,” she said. “You get to know who can swim and who can’t. You get to know people’s names.” Jakober said many of the kids at Whiteside go to Patrick Henry Elementary School. “They all either know each other when they get here or they’ll know each other by the time they’ve left,” she said.
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AuthorI am a writer pursuing a career in Journalism who has covered topics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the D.C. area and American University. Archives
April 2024
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