SPRINGFIELD, MO — The Springfield-Greene County Park Board opens its outdoor pools for the season Saturday, May 29.
Fassnight, Grant Beach and Silver Springs pools will be open through the weekend, Saturday through Monday (Memorial Day), 1-6:30 p.m.
On Memorial Day, enjoy discount Splash & Sizzle admission all day, $1/swimmer or free with a canned food donation, benefiting Ozarks Food Harvest.
After the holiday weekend, outdoor pools follow their regular weekly schedule through August. Each pool is open six days a week, 1-6:30 p.m., with maintenance days staggered Monday through Wednesday. All outdoor pools open Thursday through Sunday. The full schedule is at ParkBoard.org/Aquatics.
Phelps Grove Park’s McGee-McGregor Wading Pool also opens for the season Saturday, following its own schedule: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3-6 p.m., and Sunday 3-6 p.m. This pool is for kids age 6 and under with an adult only. Admission is free.
Indoor pools at Chesterfield and Doling Family Centers are also open seven days a week, with outdoor admission rates offered Monday-Thursday, 1-8 p.m. Regular indoor pool admission is in place Friday-Sunday, $6/kids and seniors, $8/adults.
Daily outdoor pool admission is $4/adults, $3/youth and seniors. Discount Splash & Sizzle admission takes place daily after 5:30 p.m., $1 for all ages or free with a canned food item donation, benefiting Ozarks Food Harvest.
Due to Park Board budget constraints and lifeguard availability, Meador and Westport outdoor pools will not open for the 2021 season.
“We are so glad to bring back Grant Beach and Silver Springs, after they were closed in 2020 due to COVID,” said Parks Director Bob Belote. “But we’re still recovering from lost Parks revenue related to the pandemic. That, combined with an ongoing struggle to hire enough lifeguards to staff our pools, led our staff and our board to the difficult decision to leave Meador and Westport closed this summer. We know this will be disappointing news for folks that love these pools, and we will work hard to bring these pools back online for 2022.”
Even if new funds became available to open Meador and Westport, the Park Board would not be able to staff these locations, as lifeguard recruitment has been particularly challenging this year.
“Lifeguard recruitment has always been a challenge,” said Sarah Coulter, Aquatics Coordinator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. “However, following a year with fewer pools open in Springfield and across the nation, we have fewer returning lifeguards and fewer experienced lifeguard applicants.”
Lifeguard recruitment continues, with a final training session June 4-6. Register for training here. Certified lifeguards may apply for employment at ParkBoard.org/Jobs.
For schedules, pool descriptions, pool rules and more, visit ParkBoard.org/Aquatics.
For more weather cancellations, call the Aquatics Hotline at 417-864-2099.
For media inquiries, contact Jenny Fillmer Edwards, Public Information Administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, at 417-224-5510. (For safety and security, members of the media are not allowed in the gate of any swimming pool without clearance through Parks Administration. Please make arrangements before arriving at any public pool.)
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