Free Admission To Tulsa's Swimming Pools

It already feels like summertime and in little more than a week Tulsa's city and county pools will be open. But once again due to lack of funding, only nine of Tulsa's 22 pools will be operating.

Wednesday, May 24th 2006, 10:36 am

By: News On 6

It already feels like summertime and in little more than a week Tulsa's city and county pools will be open. But once again due to lack of funding, only nine of Tulsa's 22 pools will be operating.

McClure opens June 3rd, Lacy and Reed on the 4th. And on June 5th, Berry, Hawthorne, Springdale, Turner, Whiteside and Manion will open. And this year, there's something new.

News on 6 reporter Heather Lewin says when McClure Pool opens for business a week from Saturday; it won't cost you a thing to get in.

City officials decided to stop charging admission at Tulsa city pools, hoping to make them more accessible to everyone. Tulsa Parksâ€™ Craig Thompson: "The feeling was that the price that's charged for that is a fairly nominal fee to begin with, but that did prevent people from some areas of town to be able to go as often as the kids would like to go."

Still, because of funding problems, only a handful of Tulsa pools have been open the past few years. Park officials hope that will soon change. They say using some sales tax revenue this summer to make much needed repairs on all the pools is a step in the right direction.

McClure Pool will be open a week from Saturday with a big beach bash for the entire family. There is one exception. Manion Pool, which is run by a swim school. It will charge a fee.

There is still a fee to swim at Tulsa County pools.