JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville residents will soon be able to cool off from the continuing heat wave in one of the city’s 31 community pools.
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services will open 27 of the community pools for Memorial Day weekend, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at the new Blue Cypress Park Pool Facility.
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The city hopes the pool at 4012 University Blvd. renews the community hub spirit that the park’s previous pool created before it had to close 10 years ago.
The old pool outlived its life expectancy and was beyond repair, so reconstruction was necessary, leading to a modernized space designed for both families and those looking for recreation and lap swimming.
“This pool is for everyone. We built this not just for kids to come and use this summer. This is going to be a year-round facility. It’s going to be heated. You will be able to take swim lessons here and senior aerobics and use it in more untraditional ways,” said Daryl Joseph, director of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services department.
The upgrades cost more than $7 million. Along with the pool, Blue Cypress Park now has:
- New basketball and pickleball courts
- A new turf flex field
- An enhanced boardwalk
- Space for after-school programs and summer camps at the pool
- A soon-to-be expanded golf course
Councilman Ken Amaro and property appraiser Joyce Morgan are longtime Arlington residents in addition to serving the neighborhood as elected officials.
They both say their children learned to swim in the old Blue Cypress pool. They say this investment was needed.
“Improve the quality of life. In my opinion, this is the kind of investment that the citizens are looking for when they are looking for their tax dollars,” Amaro said. “They are looking for the things that improve their quality of life. This is what this pool does.”
Morgan said the pool is a place for residents to thrive.
“We are supposed to be making sure that they have the amenities that they need to be successful,” she said. “This is how our kids are successful. Having swimming programs, learning to swim. We live in the state of Florida. Every child should know how to swim. If we do not have facilities like this, there would not be a chance for us to have that.”
The return of the pool at Blue Cypress marks a continued turnaround for the city, just two years after nearly half of the city’s pools were closed because of repairs and staffing shortages.
To combat the issue, Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration increased pool funding in the 2023-2024 city budget, which included a $1 million investment in the Capital Improvement Plan for pool maintenance and $250,000 toward a lifeguard campaign and salary increase.
The change allowed the city to open 29 pools last summer.
2025 pool season
City pools will be open weekends only (Saturday and Sunday) through June 1. They will be open seven days a week, beginning June 7.
With the 2025 summer pool season set to begin, the city has hired 400 lifeguards but is still looking for more. The starting salary for lifeguards is $15 an hour once hired.
For more information, call 904-255-6777 or 904-255-4272, or email bealifeguard@coj.net. For more information about summer activities, visit PRCS’s JaxParks webpage on Jacksonville.gov.
Memorial Day Weekend Outdoor Pool Hours
- Saturday, May 24 - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, May 25 - 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday, May 26 - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pre-Season Outdoor Pool Hours
May 24 to June 1 (open Saturday and Sundays only)
- Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Sunday 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Regular Season Outdoor Pool Hours
Starting Saturday, June 7, to Sunday, Aug. 3
- Monday to Friday 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Sunday 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Outdoor Pools
- Andrew Jackson High School - 128 W. 30th St., 32206
- Baldwin Middle/High School - 345 Chestnut St., 32234
- Blue Cypress Park - 4012 University Blvd., N., 32277
- Charles Clark Pool- 8739 Sibbald Road, 32208
- Emmett Reed Park - 1093 W. 6th St., 32209
- Eugene Butler Pool - 900 Acorn St., 32209
- Fletcher High School - 700 Seagate Ave., 32266
- Fort Caroline Pool - 14131 Ferber Road, 32277
- Golfair Park Pool (C.T. Brown) - 4415 Moncrief Road, 32209
- Grand/Johnnie Walker Park - 2740 Division St., 32209
- Harts Rd/ Eartha Napolean Park – 11597 Harts Road, 32218
- Highlands Middle School - 10913 Pine Estates Road, 32218
- Julius Guinyard Park – 1358 Jefferson St., 32209
- Mandarin High School - 4831 Greenland Road, 32258
- Oceanway Park - 12215 Sago Ave. W., 32218
- Paxon High School - 3413 W. 5th St., 32254
- Pine Forest (Henry T. Jones Park) - 2335 Gattis Lane, 32207
- Ribault High School - 5820 Van Gundy St., 32208
- Riverside High School - 1200 S. McDuff Ave., 32205
- Robert F. Kennedy Pool - 1139 Ionia St., 32206
- Samuel Wolfson High School - 7000 Powers Ave., 32217
- Sandalwood High School - 2750 John Promenade Blvd., 32246
- Terry Parker High School - 7301 Parker School Road, 32211
- Thomas Jefferson Park - 390 N. Jackson Ave., 32220
- Westside High School - 5530 Firestone Road, 32244
- Woodland Acres/ Warrington Park - 8200 Kona Ave., 32216
Cecil Aquatics Center:
Cecil Aquatic Center at 13611 Normandy Blvd., 32221, is closed daily from 12-1 p.m. for maintenance. These are the pool hours for Memorial Day weekend:
- Saturday, May 24: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Sunday, May 25: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Monday, May 26: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Three additional pools are scheduled to open by June 30:
- Carvill Park – 1302 Carvill Ave.
- Lakeshore Middle School – 2519 Bayview Road
- San Souci Pool (Adolph Wurn Park) – 2115 Dean Road
