CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – (May 14, 2020) To protect the safety of employees and the public, the City of Cedar Rapids will not open Bever, Bender, Jones, Ellis, Cherry Hill and Noelridge Pools and Aquatic Centers this summer. The City has spent more than six weeks reviewing potential guidelines for operation and determining if accommodations could be made to safely allow public swimming. With over 160,000 pool users each summer, the potential for exposure to COVID-19 exists, even following guidelines, due to the number of surfaces at the facilities that are touched by hundreds of people each hour. In addition, social distancing within the pool and lifesaving would be problematic.
“Our primary goal is to keep the community safe and we believe that this is the best precaution to take for the summer. We have made the decision early to allow our staff time to find other summer employment and plan for other recreation programs,” said Scott Hock, Parks and Recreation Director.
Staff will continue to follow recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health and CDC to determine if Bender Indoor Pool could be opened for swim lessons late this summer.