The city of Atlanta reopened three public pools Wednesday with new security measures in place, including a bag check, three days after abruptly closing all of its pools, officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The city’s parks and recreation department announced Sunday that all 12 of the public pools operated by the city had been closed, one day after a 17-year-old was shot and killed after an argument at Anderson Pool. The city did not mention the shooting in announcing the closures but said it was doing an “operational assessment” of its pools.
“The safety of our residents and staff remains a top priority,” a city spokesman said in a statement Wednesday. “The Department of Parks and Recreation would like to thank everyone for their patience as we continue coordination with the Atlanta Police Department and the pool vendor — American King — to thoughtfully re-open the city’s public pools for the remaining schedule of the 2021 pool season.”
As temperatures reached the 90s on Wednesday, the pools at Grant Park, Maddox Park and Rev. James Orange Park were reopened as part of the operational assessment ahead of this weekend. Saturday marks the beginning of the city’s back-to-school weekend-only schedule; pools are set to be open Saturdays and Sundays, from 12:30 to 8:00 p.m. through Labor Day.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced in May that, for the first time ever, admission fees would be waived — making pools accessible to all patrons at no cost this summer.
The indoor natatoriums and splashpads remain open.
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