Looking to cool off this summer? There’s a public swim option near you

Moms looking to cool off their kids in Fresno’s summer heat just got a new option.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, swimming pools at Fresno Unified high schools will be made available to the public this summer in a partnership with the city of Fresno.

The recreational swimming and swim lesson programs at the schools will expand the number of pools available to the public beyond the eight operated at city parks and community centers across Fresno. It will also offset the city’s decision to close its pool at Airways Golf Course because of the high cost of needed renovations.

“During the summer when it’s 110 degrees on weekends, this gives us more pool options available for the community to swim,” said Shaun Schaefer, community services manager for the parks department.

An agreement between the city and the school district will create a program for swim lessons on weekday afternoons for eight weeks this summer at Bullard, Edison, Fresno and Hoover high schools. And it will broaden a “green space” partnership launched last year for the city to offer weekend recreational programs at schoolyards by providing free weekend “blue space” community swimming hours at Edison, Fresno, Hoover, McLane, Roosevelt and Sunnyside high schools this summer.

Fresno Unified will cover the cost of weekday recreational swimming at its pools, while the city will pick up the tab on the weekend swimming and the weekday lessons with revenue from the swimming lessons.

For years, the city offered low-cost swimming lessons at the Airways pool near the Fresno Yosemite International Airport. But that pool needs about $450,000 in renovations. Money previously used for recreational swimming at Airways will be redirected to support the weekend swimming at McLane High – the high school pool nearest to neighborhoods around the airport – as wekll as Roosevelt and Sunnyside high schools.

Details on the city’s swimming lessons and recreational swimming programs is available through the parks department at 559-621-2900.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Looking to cool off this summer? There’s a public swim option near you."