PHOENIX — Visitors and locals alike know there are very few ways to beat the heat during the summer, swimming is one of those options.
However, the City of Phoenix still has no specific date as to when they'll re-open. There is some relief available at other area public pools post COVID-19 closures.
Sometimes a dip in the pool is the only way to work with the triple-digit temperatures, and some valley facilities like Eldorado Aquatic Center in Scottsdale have re-opened.
Parks and Recreation Manager for the city, Sunny Nakagwa says splashing your way through the summer is a step in the right direction.
"We did a lot of deep cleaning, of our locker rooms, areas of our pool deck," she said.
Their three facilities have undergone that deep cleaning and their crew is making sure safety is right at the surface. The swim lanes are back open.
"We've been very busy, we are happy to see all of our lap swimmers back in the pool and some new faces from other cities have joined us so we're thankful to be open and have lap swimmers at this point," Nakagwa added.
While the City of Phoenix is still planning on re-opening, but they want to ensure their 29 pools are safe and sanitized. However, other cities like Chandler and Scottsdale are ready for summer fun.
"Our next phase is our learn to swim classes, we're going to start our swim lessons on Monday, June 22, and they're offered at all three of our aquatic centers," she added.
Even with limited hours and a lot of safety measures in place, public pool activity is a sign that things are moving in a hopeful direction in the wake of the stay-at-home order.
"Its important people have been at home for quite some time, so this is allowing them to get back in the water do some workouts, be in the fresh air, get some sunshine, so it's very important to us," she said.