3 Bibb County Pools Opening June 4th, 3 Others Delayed

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The summer heat is here, and the pools in bibb county are set to open in Bibb County, but only three will be up and running by June 4th.

The East Macon, Memorial Park, and Booker T. Washington ppols will be ready by then.

Bibb County Chairman Sam Hart, says the delays are due to big repairs the county inherited when it took over parks and recreation.

Tony Lowden with the Booker T. Washington Center says, the county had all winter to get the pools up and running. When he offered to fund part of the repairs, Lowden says the county still wasn’t planning on opening Booker T.’s pool.

Former Macon Mayor C. Jack Ellis says that’s why he stepped in to ask questions.

“It then became a political decision to open then, not a financial decision. It was a financial decision earlier not to open them. Now all of a sudden they’re finding the money to open, and I commend them for opening,” says Ellis.

Lowden says the timing is interesting. The last time he spoke with the county he was told no money was available to open Booker T.’s pool.

“We shouldn’t just be taken care of in those communities when it’s election time, that’s not to say the money was found because it’s election time, but I do know that we were not counted to have those pools open,” said Lowden.

Chairman Hart maintains the county always had plans to open the pools. It was waiting on big repairs, and to make sure the pools are safe for swimmers.

“They had gotten word that oh these things just aren’t going to be open and I think they have a right to be upset about that but once they so understand that there’s a delay, but the reason for the delay is to make sure you’ve got safe pools and adequate personnel to oversee that, I’d think they’d go along with that,” said Hart.

Bloomfield and Frank Johnson pools are not opening yet. The pool at Ffreedom Park will not open at all this summer.