SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento is no stranger to hot summers. When it hits triple digits, everyone wants to beat the heat. Some families go to a pool for relief and others enjoy splash pads, but that's not an option for people at Southside Park.
Sacramento operates 17 pools including the North Natomas Aquatics Complex, which will soon be crowded with people trying to cool down this summer. The same thing can't be said for Southside Pool on 6th Street. It's been closed since the summer of 2022 for repairs.
"The pool currently has a fiberglass finish that has deteriorated beyond its useful life, leading to the closure of the pool," said Gabby Miller, communications specialist with the city of Sacramento. "The degraded finish allows fibers to leach into the pool water, posing potential health risks to users. To address these issues, the planned improvements involve removing the existing fiberglass finish, tiles, and other surfaces."
The repair work will most likely start in early June. It's a major undertaking. City leaders say the renovation will include installing new tiles, pool markings, depth markers, rope anchors, main drain covers, wall inlets and other fitting covers.
"All surfaces will be prepared for a new white plaster finish to ensure safety and functionality. These repairs will eliminate the potential health risks to patrons and staff and return the facility to an operational status," Miller said.
Southside Park Neighborhood Association works to help keep the community safe, clean and healthy. Members of the organization are upset, to say the least because the community has been without a pool for two hot summers and another scorcher is on the way.
"The neighbors in Southside Park and the surrounding areas took a stand and really brought attention to the fact that this is really the only pool in the area that a lot of people have access to," said Alex Zucco, the president of the Southside Park Neighborhood Association. "It felt very targeted for an area that has kind of been historically underserved."
The city still anticipates reopening Southside Pool this summer. There is no exact date at this time. City leaders say they're working with the contractor to complete the work as soon as possible.
"People from our neighborhood were told that this process was moving right along," Zucco said. "While money was an issue in the beginning, it seemed like that had been remedied. But it did not seem to have a sense of urgency from anybody."
Since Southside Pool is still closed, the city can't offer certain programs at the site either, like swim lessons or basic water safety. That's expected to change once an opening date is confirmed.
Watch more on ABC10 | Southside Park public pool closed for second summer in a row
