The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will keep 46 pools open until Sept. 3, three weeks later than originally planned, General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri said. The pools that will remain open include the ones at and .
The pools were scheduled to close Monday to coincide with the start of the school year and because of the cost of staffing the pools amid ongoing budget cuts.
However, the department received criticism Tuesday from City Council members Tom LaBonge and Richard Alarcon who argued the department did not adequately explain its budget constraints.
"This is good news. I want to thank everyone at Recreation and Parks who made this possible, from the Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners led by Barry Sanders to General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri. This was creative thinking at its best," LaBonge said in a statement. "In the end, the Department was able to do the simplest thing: serve the kids of Los Angeles."
Youths under the age of 18, seniors age 65 or older and the disabled can swim for free at all city pools. Adults ages 18-64 must pay $2.50. Library card holders can pay $2.
"I am very pleased that even in this difficult financial time, we will be able to offer an additional three weeks of summer swim to the residents of Los Angeles," Kirk Mukri said.
The department operates a handful of pools year-round.
