As schools close their doors and summer activities kick off, kids will find Johnson County pools slightly less restricted than they were last June.
Freedom Springs in Greenwood and the Edinburgh Aquatic Center open today for the season. The Franklin Family Aquatic Center opened last weekend.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the three local pools implemented many restrictions last summer, such as capacity limits, temperature checks and bring-your-own lounge chairs. Now, pools in Johnson County are taking steps toward normal.
Opening day May 22 was busy at the Franklin Family Aquatic Center, said Chip Orner, Franklin parks and recreation director.
Last season, the pool operated at half capacity with a maximum of 600 patrons. Freedom Springs in Greenwood also operated at half capacity, and Edinburgh Aquatic Center operated at 75%.
City and town parks departments suffered due to the capacity restrictions and delayed openings.
Franklin parks lost $715,000 in 2020, compared to what it made in 2019. However, the pool saw record revenues in July and August, which saved it from reaching $1 million in losses, Orner said.
Now, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johnson County Health Department guidance, the pools are dropping most restrictions.
For two weeks, the county has had the lowest level of community spread, according to the Indiana Department of Health, meaning there are no recommended capacity limits. Vaccines are widely available in the county, with the Pfizer vaccine proven to be safe for children 12 and up. And the CDC says fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks.
“We would love to have a halfway normal summer,” Orner said.
Despite the changes in 2020, the Franklin pool saw similar numbers last summer as it did pre-COVID, he said.
Freedom Springs also adapted to the pandemic well, said Rob Taggart, Greenwood parks and recreation director.
He is proud that Freedom Springs got through the summer of 2020, he said. The park was open to only season pass holders, so it drove some families to purchase passes for the first time.
“It was extremely successful. We sold more season passes than we ever have. We safely opened the facility and we felt like it was very successful,” Taggart said.
Still, the pool suffered a $374,000 loss due to COVID. Greenwood parks lost between $600,000 and $700,000 last year, he said.
Unlike the others, Edinburgh Aquatic Center saw very low attendance after they opened late on July 4, said Eric Whitlock, aquatic center manager. He expects larger crowds this year.
“We have a Facebook page and every time we put a little post on there, people are really excited,” Whitlock said.
The park will begin offering season passes once again this summer. They were not available last year due to uncertainty about whether the pool would be able to stay open all summer, he said.
Despite improvements, some precautions will remain in place at local pools.
This summer, the Franklin pool will have plexiglass shields at concession stands. All of the facilities will encourage social distancing, which the CDC says should be just a few inches farther than the length of a pool noodle.
Masks are not required for guests at the Franklin pool, but Freedom Springs will require unvaccinated individuals to be masked, aligning with recent CDC guidelines that vaccinated people are safe to go without one. The Edinburgh facility will recommend unvaccinated individuals wear masks when passing through the entrance and in bathrooms or locker rooms, but will not require them.
Lounge chairs at the Franklin and Edinburgh pools will also be available again, to an extent.
Edinburgh will have less than 100 that will be sanitized daily, and guests are still encouraged to bring their own. Like last summer, Freedom Springs will have socially distanced chairs available.
The Greenwood pool will still have hand sanitizer stations for patrons and continue its additional cleaning procedures.
COVID-19 does not travel through the water, as routine maintenance and pool chemicals such as chlorine and bromine “should inactivate the virus,” the CDC says.
Masks should not be worn in the water, as wet masks are ineffective and can cause trouble breathing, according to the CDC. Instead, swimmers should attempt to stay socially distanced in the water.
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Franklin Family Aquatic Center
Address: 396 Branigin Blvd, Franklin
Hours: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Daily Admission: Adult $5; Child/military/seniors $4; Infant (2 & under) $2; Twilight Admission (last 2 hours before close) $2
Season Passes: Individual $65; Family (max of 4) $160; Family Additional $40
Upcoming Events:
June 20: Fathers get in for free
June 24: Free movie and pool party, 6-9 p.m. (movie begins at 9:15 p.m.)
July 4: Military gets in for free
July 31: Grandparents get in free
August 6: Free Back to School Splash Bash, 6-9 p.m. (movie at 9:15 p.m.)
Freedom Springs Greenwood Aquatic Center
Address: 850 W Stop 18 Rd, Greenwood
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m.
Thrilling Thursday Nights: Open until 10 p.m. (9 p.m. after school starts back)
Daily Admission: Resident adult: $8; Resident child/senior/military: $6; Non-resident adult: $10; Non-resident child: $8; Under 2 is free.
Season Passes: Resident Individual $65; Non-resident Individual $85; 20% off household discount when purchasing 4 or more individual passes
Edinburgh Aquatic Center
Address: 220 Hardell Drive, Edinburgh
Hours: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Daily Admission: Resident Adults $3; Resident child/senior/military $2; Non-resident Adults $5; Non-resident child $4; Age 3 and under free
Free from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Season Passes: Individual town resident passes: $30; Individual non-resident passes $60; Family Pass $100
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