HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — MacGregor Park is one of eight pools now open in Houston.
Dozens came out to not only beat the H-town heat, but to come together as a community.
“We tried another pool, and that pool wasn’t open this week. And we tried this pool and it was finally open, so it was exciting. We’ve been trying to swim. It’s been years since I’ve been swimming,” Tereca Parks said.
“Peace. It’s peaceful. It’s close. Social. It’s a great way to socialize,” Samuel Chidera said.
According to the Parks and Recreation Department, the city has a total of 38 pools and a department spokesperson told ABC13 they should have anywhere between 31 and 37 up and running for the summer.
“The pool is a common place. Like I was saying earlier, Mo. Whether you can swim or not, or if you want to hang out at the pool, stick your feet in, reading a book, and people want to go there with their friends. And our pools, they’re free to the constituents of Greater Houston, so there’s no charge to it. There’s no hit on the pocket book,” Prentiss Collins, deputy director for Houston Parks and Recreation Department, said.
To help make that happen, more lifeguards are being trained. At the moment, the city has about 70, with many more going through the training and certification process.
“By the time we should get to the meat of the summer, we should have about 184 lifeguards on deck,” Collins said.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.