Mayor Cherelle Parker makes a splash to mark the opening of public pools for the summer
The city has warned that forecasters are predicting a hotter-than-average summer, and the city’s more than 60 neighborhood pools “offer a vital way for families to stay cool and active.”
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Friday paid homage to her predecessor Ed Rendell by marking the opening of public pools for the summer by jumping into Hunting Park Pool.
Rendell in 1998 famously leaped into the water of a city pool while holding hands with neighborhood kids.
Parker held her nose while she jumped in and was joined by her chief of staff, Tiffany W. Thurman; Managing Director Adam K. Thiel; City Councilmember Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr.; Carlton Williams, Parker’s director of clean and green initiatives, and others.
Like Rendell, Parker took the plunge in a bathing suit. Councilmember Mark Squilla, on the other hand, spontaneously jumped into South Philadelphia’s Murphy Recreation Center pool while wearing a dress shirt and tie during an event opening the pool for the 2017 season.
The city has warned that forecasters are predicting a hotter-than-average summer, and the city’s more than 60 neighborhood pools “offer a vital way for families to stay cool and active.”
Pool schedules vary based on staffing availability. Residents can visit the Department of Parks & Recreation website for more information.