Good news for Omaha residents looking to escape the heat by taking a swim, a handful of Omaha city pools will reopen in the coming weeks.
At a Monday afternoon press conference, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said thanks to a few generous, anonymous donors, the city will be able to reopen five pools.
Stothert said she spoke with a resident last week after her announcement no outdoor pools would open this season. The resident, who she did not name, has offered to pay the costs for lifeguards and other expenses for opening the public pools. That resident wasn't alone though, as several donors from the community have stepped up and will help fund the pools' opening. They wanted to remain anonymous and Stothert thanked them for their generosity.
Stothert said the city has begun planning and preparing five outdoor pools to reopen by a target date of July 1st. The five pools set to reopen are:
- Roanoke, in Northwest Omaha
- Elmwood, in midtown Omaha
- Hitchcock, in South Omaha
- Miller, in North Omaha
- Zorinsky, in West Omaha
City crews have already cleaned those pools and they are being filled. Lifeguards have been called in for the hiring process, as 100 will be needed for opening five pools.
The pools will remain open for about 6 weeks, as they will close the second week of August. Hours will be will be extended at the pools to make up for lost time. Instead of 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, hours will be 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
A $2 admission fee per person at the pools will be charged, with the proceeds going to a local food bank. The costs to operate the pools was estimated at $700,000.