Construction delays have pushed the debut of Iowa City’s new public pool to 2027, the Parks and Recreation Department announced Friday afternoon. Last summer was the first time since Harry Truman was president that there was no outdoor public pool open in Iowa City. City Park Pool, which had been a central part of local […]
Public pools
Posted inCommunity/News
With City Park Pool closed for the summer, it’ll take some creativity to stay cool in Iowa City
Fashion photos by Karla Monroe, featuring Natalie Lawrence and Lexi Wells at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center pool in Iowa City. Update: As a result of construction delays, the new City Park pool will not open until 2027, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department announced on June 5, 2026. The last time […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Des Moines locals fight to save Birdland Pool and prove the North Side isn’t ‘a path of least resistance’
Generations of Des Moines residents have flocked to their neighborhood swimming pools for fun and to find relief from the heat, especially during potentially deadly heat waves. For almost 90 years, destinations have included the historic Birdland Pool at 300 Holcomb Ave in Highland Park, which opened to the general public on May 31, 1936. The […]
Posted inComics
True Love — July 2024
This comic was originally published in Little Village’s July 2024 issue.
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Save the Robert A. Lee Pool, Iowa City
Dear members of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council, We write to express our concern that the proposed Robert A. Lee (RAL) pool closure will leave Iowa Citians, regardless of age, physical ability, mode of transportation, socio-economic status, or health/wellness needs, without an accessible and reasonable option for aquatic activities. Having […]
Posted inCOVID-19
City Park Pool will open for the season on Saturday
City Park Pool will open for the 2021 season on Saturday, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department confirmed on Wednesday. There had been the possibility of delaying opening day because of a leak in the pool’s surge tank, but repairs were finished on schedule. The pool will be open on Saturday from 6:15 to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The history of public pools in Iowa City shows swimming hasn’t always been accessible
As summer comes to an end, the pool in City Park reaches a milestone — 70 years of service to Iowa Citians looking to float, dog paddle or simply cope with the heat. But if everything had gone according to the original plan, the pool would have opened in the summer of 1942, and it would now be celebrating 76 years of service
Posted inCommunity/News
Celebrate the longest day of the year with an evening pool party at the Cherry Hill Aquatic Center
The impending June Solstice will bring more daylight, and with it, more pool time. On Friday, June 21, the Cherry Hill Aquatic Center will host the annual Longest Day of Summer Swim from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Posted inCommunity/News
Keep cool at local pools, but beware E. coli and algae
Johnson County beach bums and pool-goers hoping to beat the heat in the last days of summer should be wary of the microscopic company they keep. “August is the peak month for the blue-green algae blooms that are an increasingly common threat to Iowa Lakes during the summer,” The Press-Citizen reports. Caused in part by […]
