Running on Red Ink, Cities Across U.S. Shut Down Public Pools

As anemic budget becomes a new reality rather than a mere interlude, cities like Atlanta, Houston, and Sacramento close down pools to cut back expenses. School-age children with downtime in the summer suffer most.

1 minute read

July 8, 2011, 6:00 AM PDT

By Jeff Jamawat

Jess McKinley of The New York Times reports:

"There are few things in life more doleful than a child looking at a closed pool on a steamy summer day, and yet that sad scene has become as common as sunburns and mosquito bites as struggling local governments make the painful choice to shut their pools to save the budget. And while corporate and nonprofit white knights sometimes appear at the last minute to salvage at least some of the summer, some say that the age of free dips on the public dime is increasingly endangered."

But there is a glimmer of hope for those who adhere to Darwinian law and adapt. Having "shuttered a quarter of the city's 29 pools in each of the past three years," Phoenix manages to adopt a new tax that pays for refurbishing and operating costs. The city's pools will reopen next year.

FULL STORY: Looking for a Pool and Coming Up Dry as Cities Shave Budgets

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 in The New York Times

Community / Economic Development United States Public Pool

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