Chicago Park District Keeps 20 Pools Open Through Labor Day
The district says the move expands cooling access in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods, citing seasonal lifeguard shortages as the limiting factor.
Overview
- The Park District will keep 20 public pools on summer schedules through Labor Day, with outdoor pools closing after the holiday and indoor facilities returning to non-summer programs the next day pending maintenance.
- Thirteen of the 20 pools selected for the extension are in neighborhoods that score high on the city’s Heat Vulnerability Index, which the district used to guide where extra cooling resources go.
- More than 200 spray features and fountains will run through September 30 to give more places for people to cool off beyond the pools.
- Officials say the decision is a public-health response to stronger and more frequent heat events and that the district loses the overwhelming majority of seasonal lifeguards when school resumes, which limits how long pools can stay open.
- The change builds on the city’s broader effort to prioritize cooling infrastructure, including recent air-conditioning upgrades at field houses, and it will directly boost access to relief in higher-risk neighborhoods while leaving most neighborhood pools to end their seasons on the usual schedule.