Uptick in lifeguards means more Milwaukee County pools will be open. Here's what to know.
With the recent reopening of McKinley Beach, Milwaukee County has more good news for sweltering residents this summer.
The county's Parks Department announced there would be 136 lifeguards on staff this season — a 36% increase from last year's recruitment efforts — as well as the opening of more than three dozen pools, splash pads, wading pools and other aquatic facilities starting at the end of May and middle of June.
The Parks Department also said an additional pool will open next month. The location has yet to be confirmed.
"This influx of new aquatic staff, along with the retention of over 60 returning dedicated lifeguards from a year ago, has allowed us to open more facilities than we've been able to in recent memory," Guy Smith, executive director at Milwaukee County Parks, said in a statement Thursday. "This is nearly double the number of swimming facilities compared to 2023."
When does the Milwaukee County Parks' summer pool season begin?
It'll kick off Saturday with the opening of Cool Waters Aquatic Park in Greenfield Park.
What pools will be open?
There will be a mixture of both deep-well outdoor pools and indoor pools across the county, including:
Wilson Pool at Wilson Park and Sheridan Pool at Sheridan Park, both opening June 15.
Three additional deep-well outdoor pools will be confirmed by the department later this summer. This is one extra pool than the county opened last year.
The indoor pools at Noyes Indoor Pool and Pulaski Indoor Pool. Both locations are already open to the public.
What water parks are available?
In addition to the deep-well pools, the county is opening its two aquatic centers.
Cool Waters Aquatic Center at Greenfield Park will open this Memorial Day weekend from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours will be updated on the Parks Department website.
Schulz Aquatic Center at Lincoln Park will open June 8. Summer hours will be available on the Parks Department website.
Where are the county's splash pads and wading pools?
Between June 20 and Aug. 18, the Parks Department tentatively announced splash pad locations open across the county. They will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Carver Splash Pad, 911 W. Brown St.
Clarke Square Splash Pad, 2330 W. Vieau Place
Dineen Splash Pad, 6901 W. Vienna Ave.
Lucille Berrien Splash Pad, 3629 N. 16th St.
Gordon Splash Pad, 2828 N. Humboldt Blvd.
Madison Splash Pad, 9800 W. Glendale Ave.
Moody Splash Pad, 2201 W. Auer Ave.
Washington Splash Pad, 1859 N. 40th St. This location will be operated by Urban Ecology Center.
The county has also tentatively announced the list of 24 wading pools that will be open during the same dates and times:
Alcott Wader, 3751 S. 97th St.
Algonquin Wader, 7850 N. 51st St.
Cooper Wader, 8701 W. Chambers St.
Greene Wader, 4235 S. Lipton Ave.
Hales Corners Wader,5765 S. New Berlin Road
Harriet Tubman Wader, 4750 N. 48 St.
Humboldt Wader,3000 S. Howell Ave.
Indigenous Peoples Wader, 7301 W. Courtland Ave.
Jacobus Wader, 6501 W. Hillside Lane
Kops Wader,7603 W. County Line Rd.
La Follette Wader,9418 W. Washington St.
Lindsay Wader,4360 N. 87th St
Lyons Wader, 3301 S. 55th St.
Mitchell Wader, 524 S. Layton Blvd.
Pulaski Cudahy Wader, 5400 S. Swift Ave.
Rainbow Wader, 700 S. 119th St.
Saveland Wader, 3700 S. Second St.
Sheridan Wader, 4800 S. Lake Dr.
Smith Wader, 5462 N. 33rd St.
Tiefenthaler Wader,2501 W. Galena St.
Tippecanoe Wader, 1411 E. Warnimont Ave.
Walker Square Wader,1031 S. Ninth St.
Wedgewood Wader,7201 W. Wedgewood Dr.
West Milwaukee Wader, 5000 W. Burnham St.
How much do the pool facilities cost?
Fees for single and multivisit passes will be announced on the Parks Department website, along with the full summer schedule and pool hours for each pool.
Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Vanessa_Swales.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: More Milwaukee County pools open as summer lifeguard numbers surge
