Kids In Philadelphia Turning To City Pools, Spraygrounds And Splash Pads To Stay Cool During Heat Wave
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A heat wave has taken over the Philadelphia region and children across the city are trying to stay cool during their summer vacation. The sprayground at Roberto Clemente Playground in Fairmount is packed with people trying to cool off from the brutal heat Wednesday afternoon.
There were similar sites across the city.
Jumping into a pool on a hot summer day is a rite of passage for any child.
"I felt refreshing," Camper Caius Colella said.
Eyewitness News was at Kendrick Playground in Roxborough where a few dozen kids involved in the camp were swimming to try and stay cool.
Temperatures were already reading over 90 degrees when CBS3 was at the city pool in the early afternoon.
"It's great. It's hot outside, it's really good to get in a pool and feel good," Jalynn Kensey said.
It was a much different scene at the 12th and Cambria Streets Playground in North Philly. Kids in that site's summer camp were using a splash pad to stay cool.
"We didn't have lifeguards so we had to shut down the pool and go with what we have," Parks and Rec Supervisor Bruce Platt said.
The pool here is one of 13 city pools that couldn't open this summer. The city says it's because of a lifeguard shortage that's affecting pools nationwide.
But, the splash pad has neighbors asking for more.
"This is not satisfying to kids," resident Darryl Bailey said. "If we get 16 kids around here, what all of them are going to go in there?"
The pool at 12th and Cambria Playground has been closed for three years. First, because of the pandemic, then because of the lifeguard shortage.
The city says they've tried to open pools in every neighborhood and they prioritized which pools to open based on how frequently they were used and their capacity.
They also say they're still hiring lifeguards.
"The splash pads are a great way for kids to have fun and cool down," Parks and Rec spokesperson Maita Soukup said. "Our goal at Parks and Rec is to open 100% of our pools each summer and that's why our targeted lifeguard recruitment process never ended."
Philly's public pools are free to use and you are able to go to another neighborhood if the pool in yours is closed. There are also 93 spraygrounds in the city which are open 7 days a week.
Click here to find a sprayground in Philadelphia near you.
The Philadelphia pools open for the summer are:
- Fishtown Recreation Center
- Mill Creek Playground
- Samuel Recreation Center
- Barry Playground
- Lawncrest Recreation Center
- Penrose Playground
- Kelly Pool
- Vogt Recreation Center
- Pleasant Playground
- Murphy Recreation Center
- Mitchell Playground
- Simpson Recreation Center
- Bridesburg Recreation Center
- Athletic Recreation Center
- Ford Recreation Center
- Awbury Playground
- Jacobs Playground
- Jardel Recreation Center
- Marian Anderson Recreation Center
- Max Myers Playground
- Hancock Playground
- Kendrick Recreation Center
- Fox Chase Recreation Center
- American Legion Playground
- Cione Playground , Mander Playground
- Hillside Recreation Center
- Christy Recreation Center
- J Finnegan Playground
- Northern Liberties Recreation Center
- Cherashore Playground
- CB Moore Recreation Center
- McVeigh Recreation Center
- Cobbs Creek Recreation Center
- Lackman Playground
- Stinger Square
- O'Connor Pool
- Sacks Playground
- 39th & Olive Playground
- Lonnie Young Recreation Center
- Houseman Playground
- Feltonville Recreation Center
- Shepard Recreation Center
- Piccoli Playground
- Francisville Recreation Center
- Scanlon Recreation Center
- Hunting Park Recreation Center
- Waterloo Playground
- Tustin Recreation Center
- FJ Myers Recreation Center
