SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The public swimming pool in Southside Park will be closed for the second summer in a row, according to Sacramento city officials.
The neighborhood association says it’s the only pool serving the inner-city and its residents.
As the weather begins to warm up, the pool goes unused.
Sarah Cox is the president of the neighborhood association and a mom who moved in to be closer to the pool.
She says she and her kids are disappointed the city is keeping the pool closed again this year. Cox says the city tells her “the short answer is there was no money for it.”
The money would go toward costly repairs after reports of swimmers getting a rash from brushing up against the side of the pool last year.
“The pool needs to be resurfaced and due to the age of the facility and increased construction costs, there is a shortage of funds needed to complete the project,” said the city in a statement.
Residents nearby are upset about the continued closing of the pool.
“It feels like we’re always fighting for the amenities that we’re paying our taxes for,” said Cox.
She says other neighbors should worry this won’t be the last community pool to suffer this fate.
“I’m like, ‘Oh this is going to happen with every pool. How old are all the other pools in Sacramento?’” said Cox. “How many of them are going to have some maintenance that’s been deferred and then there’s no money for it because costs are going to continue to rise and there’s just going to be scramble after scramble?”
In a statement, District 4 councilmember Katie Valenzuela said the city has received the funding to move forward with the first step of this project.
City staff say they hope to reopen the pool for summer 2024.
