Richmond public pools set to open for Memorial Day weekend

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - At Battery Park Pool on Richmond’s Northside, Parks and Recreation Services Supervisor Jerrod Booker is doing some last-minute preps to get pools open in time for the Memorial Day weekend.

One thing that’s not on his mind is staffing concerns.

“I am extremely ecstatic that I don’t have to be looking for people right now,” Booker said.

Staffing has been an issue in recent years, but this weekend, each open pool will have six lifeguards, a head lifeguard and a pool manager.

“City of Richmond, we’re bucking national trends, we’re bucking global trends, and we’re bucking local trends,” Booker said. “We’re going to be fully staffed.”

Five of the city’s seven outdoor pools will open, including Battery Park, Powhatan, Blackwell, Fairmont and Randolph Pools.

You can enjoy the water, which is still pretty chilly at this point, from noon to 6 p.m. all weekend.

The work to get to this point has been months in the making. From checking water samples to maintaining all the pool equipment, Booker says they do it all to ensure families can have safe fun throughout the summer.

“The prep that goes into getting our pools ready to have everyone come in and enjoy themselves is extensive,” Booker said. “It takes multiple agencies, private and public, to get in here. Cut the grass, ironically. Get these pools to be nice and blue and pretty so everyone can hop in.”

You don’t need a membership to access city pools. All you have to do is sign in at whichever location you choose. But appropriate swimwear is a must.

“Typically, that’s swimming trunks for men, and that’s a bathing suit for women,” Booker said.

Other pools in the city will open once Richmond Public Schools are let out for the year.

Copyright 2023 WWBT. All rights reserved.