In a long MSNBC article about the Heat Wave, titled "Feels like 120: Half of US set to swelter again" mention was made of the Dallas-Fort Worth area's HEAT.
Mention was also made regarding the fact that Fort Worth has closed all its public swimming pools. Along with information I was unaware of, that being that four Fort Worth YMCA pools are allowing Fort Worth residents to swim for 2 hours a day, without needing to be a YMCA member.
Below is the excerpt of the part of the MSNBC Heat Wave article that pertained to Dallas/Fort Worth....
Dallas recorded its 10th-straight day of 100-degree weather Monday. The city hit 100 for nearly three straight weeks as recently as 2006, and the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Monday afternoon for the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the first time since June 18. The advisory will remain in effect until Wednesday night.
In 1980, the Dallas-Fort Worth area endured 42 days in a row of 100-degree-and-over heat.
Little chance of rain
Triple-digit highs are expected through the weekend in Dallas, and there is little chance of rain to cool things down.
On Monday, 87-year-old R.F. Lanham was taking the heat in stride as he picked weeds in his shaded front yard in Dallas. "I've seen a lot of hot summers," he said.
As 40-year-old Sally Smith loaded two of her children into her minivan as she left a spin class at a Dallas YMCA, she said that even though she had lived in Texas for 18 years, the hot weather was hard to get used to.
"You feel like your skin is baking," the Michigan native said.
In Fort Worth, all of the city's pools are closed because of budget cuts. Through a partnership with the YMCA, Fort Worth residents can swim at four of its pools for two hours a day without a membership.
My swimming pool is not usable today. A YMCA is less than 2 miles from my location. I know it has a pool. I do not know if it is one of the four Fort Worth YMCAs opening its pool to the public.
Note the Y pools only allow public swimming from 2 -4 pm, the most dangerous times for swimming, especially for kids. Dermatologists warn all people to avoid the pool during those times. Skin cancer is serious.
ReplyDeleteThe pool closures are shameful.
ReplyDeleteThe city can only find bond money to fix parking lots for pools that are closed:
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/07/01/2309207/fort-worth-builds-parking-lot.html
Our new mayor wants to reopen the pools using public/private partnerships, but admits that we probably can't get them all reopened that way.
Whatever happened to the concept of leadership? Making priorities and finding the money to do it? Maybe forgo some new cop cars, a helipad, or some tax breaks for their buddies? Or ask the public for a little bit of bond money for pools? Or ask for flexibility to use bond money already authorized for pools rather than parking lots?
I think I'll manage my outrage over this and many other things by going swimming.