Montgomery County’s Bethesda Outdoor Pool won’t be completely ready to open this weekend, thanks to construction delays on the facility’s main pool.
The county announced that “this spring’s unprecedented rainfall…resulted in unavoidable construction delays,” for a project to repair stonework on the walls of the main pool. Repairs on the stones began in the fall, but the rain delayed installation because the project included cement work that requires dry weather. The county hopes to have the main pool ready to open by June 4, weather permitting.
The Washington, D.C., area saw 19 days with at least a trace of rain from May 1 to 23, according to the National Weather Service.
The lap, teaching and tot pools at the Little Falls Parkway facility will open as scheduled at noon Saturday, county Recreation Department Communications Manager Carmen Berrios Martinez said. All seven county outdoor pools will open at the same time.
“I, just like many of you, am looking forward to the sun and getting out of the house this weekend after the overwhelming amount of rainy days we have had,” Recreation Director Gabe Albornoz said in a press release. “I understand the frustration that some may feel to know that the Bethesda Outdoor Pool will not be open at full capacity. We are working diligently to get repairs completed as soon as possible. We’ll have extra staff on hand with fun activities and games for kids to help ensure everyone has a great time.”
The county will cut the price of admission to $2 for all Bethesda Outdoor Pool users this weekend. Prices usually range from $5-$10 depending on the age of the user and whether the user is a county resident.
The Recreation Department said almost 13,000 people visited its seven outdoor pools over Memorial Day weekend last year.
It also will extend recreational swim hours at the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda (the closest county indoor swimming facility) to 2 to 4 p.m. and 5 to -7 p.m. Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday and 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday for the leisure and main pools and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for the leisure and slide pools.
The county said it will also keep the Bethesda Outdoor Pool open for an extra weekend at the end of the season, Sept. 10 and 11, to make up for the partial closure this weekend.
