Good morning -- and happy first day of June!
If you had a three-day weekend off work or school, I hope it was both restful and meaningful.
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On Friday, the city of Ann Arbor announced that it will be easing capacity limits at its three pools as local and state recommendations change as COVID cases fall and vaccinations rise. City officials said they will reevaluate their safety practices on July 1 when the state of Michigan fully reopens.
Both Veterans Memorial Park and Buhr Park pools remained closed last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fuller Park pool opened in July for 2.5 months with very limited capacity.
“With a system that is not ideal and our lap lanes filling up quickly, we had a lot of guests who were unhappy because of how challenging it was to get a lap swimming space,” pool recreation supervisor Gayle Hurn told A4 in Sept. 2020. “You can imagine, with over 120,000 residents and only 64 slots for lap swimming per day, it was hard to please everyone.”
With all three pools now open, the city is still working with the Washtenaw County Health Department to determine best practices as residents prepare -- and yearn -- for a more normal summer.
Sarah Parlette reports:
Starting June 14, capacity will be increased at Ann Arbor’s Buhr, Fuller and Veterans Memorial public pools, the city announced Friday.
The changes come after the most recent order by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announcements by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and updates to public pool operating guidelines by Washtenaw County Health Department.
Additionally, limitations to lap lanes will be changed to allow up to three swimmers starting June 14. Previously, only one swimmer was allowed in each lane.
“Staff are evaluating lower capacity options for immunocompromised individuals and other designated groups,” officials said.
Here’s a timeline of how things will change:
From Friday, May 29, to June 13, public pools will continue to operate under existing capacity limitations and use the existing reservation system. This will give the city time to update its staffing models and set up new operating procedures, officials said.
Between June 14-30 capacity will be increased for lap swimming and general swim. Pool admissions for a two-hour block of time can be purchased online. If available, pool admissions can be bought at the pool the day of.
Fuller Pool will have up to 150 spots available but both Buhr Park Pool and Veterans Memorial Park Pool will be limited to 90 spots each.
Starting July 1, operational adjustments will be made as regulatory agencies update information.
Ready to make reservations? Here’s how:
- For pool spots prior to June 13, community members can reserve a two-hour block of swim time at https://a2gov.getomnify.com/.
- For swim times on June 14 and beyond, admissions can be bought at the pools or online at http://www.a2gov.org/parksregister. Additional details about the new process are expected to be released by June 4, officials said.
- Families that already have reservations and paid for times up to June 14 are all set and don’t need to do anything.
- Community members who reserved a spot between June 14- September 19 will receive credit on their CivcRec accounts for future use. Those preferring a refund need to contact pool staff, officials said.
- Spots that were reserved but not yet paid for will be canceled.
Have a great rest of the week.
- Meredith (@meredith_A4)
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