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When Jacksonville Pools, Camps And Youth Activities Will Reopen

News4Jax
Five city pools will reopen on June 8.

The city will soon begin a phased reopening of city pools and summer youth activities, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced Wednesday.

On June 8, five pools will reopen:

Cecil Aquatics Center
(Map) 13611-A Normandy Blvd.
573-8994

Charles Clark Pool
(Map) 8793 Sibbald Road
768-6422

Julius Guinyard Pool
(Map) 1358 Jefferson St,
630-0994

Oceanway Pool
(Map) 12215 Sago Ave. W.
757-8704

Woodland Acres Pool
(Map) 8200 Kona Ave.

Pool hours will be Monday through 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 through Sunday, 8 a.m., to 6 p.m.

“We will open additional pool locations as staff are hired and processed,” Curry said.

Pools on Duval County Public Schools property will remain closed for the time being, but the mayor said, “We hope to have access to those facilities sometime in July.”

City camp programs are also returning.

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The city is planning to offer full-time, half-day and full-day drop-off opportunities for parents.
“We are reducing camp sizes to 30 participants or less. Group activities will take place with 10 participants or less,” the mayor said.

All campers will be encouraged to wear cloth face coverings and masks. Masks, hand sanitizers and gloves will be provided to all camp counselors, with daily disinfecting.

The city camps will run from June 15 to July 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch provided. Curry said locations and details will be posted on the Jax Parks webpage.

The mayor’s administration is also releasing a set of guidelines to youth athletics associations.

“As a former youth coach for my children, I’m excited for our kids to get back on the field,” Curry said.

The guidelines include limiting the size of groups and the number of groups practicing. The number of players in dugouts or sidelines will be limited, and players will be spread out on bleachers.

The mayor said shared equipment such as bats and balls should be sanitized after each use.

“Please continue to wear masks when you're out and about in populated areas,  indoors specifically.  Wash hands frequently. Keep group sizes small and socially distance. The virus is with us, but it doesn't spread itself. We spread it. By being safe and responsible, we can manage this and get our city and our economy back over,” Curry said.

Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.

Bill joined WJCT News in September of 2017 from The Florida Times-Union, where he served in a variety of multimedia journalism positions.