Post updated at 6:17 p.m. Tuesday, May 21:
The City of Lawrence has announced that the Outdoor Aquatic Center will open on Saturday, June 1, instead of Memorial Day.
Lindsay Hart, assistant director of recreation for Lawrence Parks and Recreation, shared the news with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board last week that the pool would open on Monday, May 27 this year. That would have been about a week earlier than the pool has opened over the past few years.
Roger Steinbrock, communications and events manager for Parks and Recreation, explained the reason for the delay.
He said that part of the evaluation of the outdoor pool for planned renovations has involved “taking core samples in and around the pool because it is an aging infrastructure.”
“The weather, namely the rain, hasn’t been ideal to provide the time needed to finish the patchwork and ready the pool for a Memorial Day opening,” Steinbrock said via email Tuesday evening. “The original plan was to open on Memorial Day; however, Lindsay was unaware at the time that staff were needing to delay the opening due to patching the boreholes created by the sampling and other maintenance work. Because of the time it takes to fill the pool and finalize the evaluation of the pumps and filtration system, we wanted to make sure staff had ample time to make the necessary repairs and evaluate the systems to open safely for the public.”
The pool’s hours will be from 1 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, according to a news release from the city.
Lap swimming hours will be from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The closing date of the pool is yet to be determined, according to Tuesday’s news release. Hart told the advisory board last week that the department is also working with staff to hopefully keep the pool open through Labor Day, which is Monday, Sept. 2. In recent years, the pool has closed in mid-August.
As Steinbrock noted, the city is in the planning process for $6.1 million in renovations to the outdoor pool. Planning is anticipated to be completed this summer.
The city has launched a second online survey at this link, which will be open through June 12, and a second public meeting to discuss renovations is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 at the Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St.
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