JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced Wednesday that the city will be reopening public pools in phases, as well as offer free summer camps this year.
"Our team has been working on plans to get kids back into parks, pools and programs in a safe and responsible way," Curry said.
For more information on pools and camps, click here.
Pools
Five public pools will reopen on June 8: Julius Guinyard, Oceanway, Woodland Acres, Charles Clark and Cecil Aquatics Center.
Pool hours will be Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The Cecil Aquatic Center will be open Monday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"We will open additional pool locations as staff are hired and processed," he said.
Curry added that pools on Duval County Public School properties will remain closed, but he hopes they will have access to these pools in July.
Below are the following city pools and dates for their planned reopenings:
June 8:
- Julius Guinyard
- Oceanway
- Woodland Acres
- Charles Clark
- Cecil Aquatics Center
June 15
- Grand Park
- Pine Forest
- Thomas Jefferson
- Kennedy
June 22
- Fort Caroline
- CT Brown
- Harts Road
- Emmett Reed
July 1
- Adolph Wurn
- Carvill
- Mallison
- Sunny Acres
Free summer camps
When it comes to summer camps, the city will be providing free full-time camps, as well as half-day and full-day drop-in opportunities, Curry said.
"Parents, we want to assure you that with all of our camps, we are taking measures to protect the health and safety of our children, their families and our city employees," he said.
Those measures include:
- Reducing camp sizes to 30 participants or less (with a waiting list)
- Group activities will be 10 participants or less
- Camp counselors will have masks, sanitizer and gloves
- Disinfecting will take place daily
- Campers are encouraged to wear cloth masks
- Handwashing breaks required every hour
- Before entering, campers will have their fever checked
Full-day camps will be offered for free from June 15 to July 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include activities such as crafts, educational sessions and recreational sports. Registration is required and lunch will be provided.
Below are the locations for the full-day camps:
- Balis Center
- Emmett Reed
- Kennedy
- HT Jones
- Cuba Hunter
- ML Gibbs
- Legends (based on testing; backup site Simonds Johnson)
"It's normally $225 for a six-week session, but we recognize these are difficult times and want to provide families and young people the opportunity free of charge to get out of the house and have this experience," Curry said.
Half-day camps, or Club Rec Camps, will be from June 15 to July 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and also offer crafts, games, educational sessions and recreational sports. Registration is not required and lunch will be provided.
Below are the locations for the half-day camps:
- Beachwood
- CT Brown
- Dinsmore
- Johnnie Walker
- Julian Barrs
- Mitchell Center
- Oceanway
- Westside
- Windy Hill
Full-day drop-in opportunities will run from June 15 to Aug. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Registration is not required and lunch will be provided.
Below are the locations for the full-day drop-in opportunities:
- Adolph Wurn
- Bruce Park
- CT Brown
- Grunthal Park
- Kooker Park
- Johnnie Walker
- Warrington
- Woodstock
- Yancey
$5 million additional relief
During Wednesday's news conference, Curry also announced that City Council approved an additional $5 million in funding to provide mortgage, rent and utility relief to another 5,000 Jacksonville households.
The mayor said the city has already provided $31 million in direct assistance to Duval County families impacted by COVID-19.
"I've heard so many stories from people in this community... people have stopped me and shared with me that the $1,000 stimulus check has gotten them through and an additional month or two as they get back to work or plan to get back to work," Curry said.
City Council also approved 2,000 grants to support 4,500 local small businesses, including sole proprietors and those self-employed.