Christopher Peak file photo
This will only be happening at Hillhouse this summer.
It turns out that only one public pool, at Hillhouse High School, will be open this summer — despite the public school district’s initial plans to have three of its five pools in good enough condition to be available for open swim.
New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) spokesperson Justin Harmon confirmed that latest public pools update on Monday.
The pools that were supposed to be open were Hillhouse High School’s at 480 Sherman Pkwy., Conte West’s at 511 Chapel St., and John S. Martinez’s at 100 James St. The public school system’s two other pools, at Wilbur Cross and Career high schools, were expected to be closed.
Well, now, Conte West and John S. Martinez will be closed this summer too, leaving Hillhouse as the only school pool site to be open for public swim.
“Unfortunately, the repair work planned for both pools will have to start later than we had hoped, and we do not expect either one to be completed in time for summer use,” Harmon said about Conte West and John S. Martinez’s school pools.
He added that a newer problem was also recently discovered at Conte’s pool, “which is that the co-generator is down and must be fixed before the remaining work gets done on the pool.”
A memo included in a Board of Education committee presentation from early May states that Martinez’s pool needs a total replacement of its dehumidification system and that Conte West’s pool suffers from “excessive water damage under and around the pool,” among other needed repairs. (See slides at the bottom of this article for more details.)
City Youth and Recreation Director Gwendolyn Busch Williams confirmed that her department had to shift all of its anticipated summer swim programming to Hillhouse, which will limit public access due to fewer pools being available.
Hillhouse’s pool will be open to the public for open swim from June 24 to Aug. 2. Open swim will be held Mondays through Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Youth and Rec Deputy Director of Operations Felicia Shashinka informed the Independent of the city’s 15 splash pads that are currently open through the summer from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
Those 15 splash pads are located at:
1. South Genesee Park, South Genesee Street
2. Cedar Hill Park, View and Rock Street
3. Edgewood Park, Chapel Street and Ella T. Grasso Blvd.
4. Jocelyn Square Park, Humphrey and East Street
5. Ann Street Park, Kossuth Street and West Street
6. Trowbridge Square Park, Cedar Street and Portsea Street
7. Galvin Park, Greenwich Avenue and First Street
8. Lighthouse Point Park, 2 Lighthouse Road
9. Scantlebury Park, Ashmun Street and Bristol Street
10. Lewis Street Park, Lewis Street and Front Street
11. Dover Beach, Front Street
12. Goffe Street Park, Goffe St
13. Criscuolo Park, Chapel & James
14. Lincoln Bassett Park, Shelton Ave
15. Cherry Ann Park, 150 Cherry Ann
NHPS May memo of ongoing district pool repairs.
