Today, Mayor Michael Nutter takes the plunge and officially opens the city's pools for the season.
The mayor's big dip never disappoints the kids excited for the end of the school year and the start of swimming. Forty-six of the city's 73 pools will begin opening today on a staggered schedule through July 3rd. That's more than half the outdoor public pools in Philadelphia and more than expected to open.
In November the mayor announced that most city pools, 68, would not open this summer because of drastic budget cuts.
The move outraged some citizens concerned about the city's kids. then in February, the mayor announced the "Splash and Summer Fund Drive" and thousands of dollars in donations started coming in from corporations and private citizens.
Some $430,000 from that pool of money will go to open the 46 pools this summer. Still for some, that's not enough.
Just last week, a group of protestors took their message to City Hall. They hoped to convince the mayor to open every pool, arguing that the city's kids are far safer spending their summer days swimming rather than roaming city streets.
You can get more information about which pools are open and their hours by following this link to the city of Philadelphia's website.
Get Action News on your website
