When the mercury hits the high marks, people in Jacksonville start looking for a way to cool off. A great way for families to beat the heat this summer is the pool at the Jacksonville Community Center. “One of the biggest positives about the pool is that it’s very child-friendly,” said Kathy Richie, the pool manager, adding that one of the biggest attractions at the pool is the mushroom fountain. “We have more families attending the pool this year than last year, which was our goal.”
At the beginning of the season the pool tried out an adult swim period where only adults were allowed to swim in the pool for 10 minutes every hour.
“We tried that for two days,” she said. “We decided to discontinue it, but not for any negative reason, we just decided not to do it.”
Richie said there are some new pool rules being implemented this year to create an atmosphere families can enjoy. Among the new rules is a requirement that children who are not toilet trained wear a swim diaper. Also, children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.
While outside, food and drinks are prohibited at the pool, Richie said the community center has a concession stand that offers a wide variety of snacks, from chicken sandwiches to mozzarella sticks.
The community center also offers adult swim lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Richie said the community center will be closed Friday for Independence Day but the pool will be open with activities for children. Those activities include sidewalk chalk, bubbles and games with prizes of “funny money” redeemable at the concession stand.
The pool will be open daily until August 6. From then until Labor Day, the pool will be open only on weekends.
