Needham Park And Recreation Announces Pools, Youth Summer Programs To Open In Mid-July

Press release from the Town of Needham:

July 8, 2020

Needham, MA – Wednesday, July 8, 2020 – Needham Park and Recreation has announced its summer lineup of recreational opportunities, including a new “Summer Recess” program and the opening of the pools at the Rosemary Recreation Complex later this month.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing Massachusetts state rules and regulations, Park and Recreation is offering outdoor recreation in new ways this summer, intended to protect the health and safety of residents and recreation staff.

The pools will open the last week of July for Needham residents only. Pools will be open from Tuesday – Sunday with specific time slots available to those who have pre-registered. Preregistration will be required and will open mid-July.

Members of the Pools at Rosemary Recreation Complex will have first access to register for time slots and pay no additional fees to reserve a time slot. Non-Members will have access to available spots after the initial ’Members Only’ period and pay a fee of $5.00 per person entering the facility, regardless of age. Season membership registration will end on Friday, July 10th at 5pm. Any membership purchased for the 2020 season will also be valid for the 2021 year.

Pool Schedule

Lap swim and water walking will be available Tuesday – Friday in 60-minute time slots; 7:00am – 8:00am, 8:30am – 9:30am, 10:00am – 11:00am and 11:30am – 12:30pm. Each time slot will have 8 spots available for lap swim and 2 spots available for water walking. During these time slots, only one swimmer per lane will be allowed to register. Any person under the age of 16 will have to be accompanied by a non-swimming adult.

Family swim will be available Tuesday – Sunday in 90-minute time slots; 1:30pm – 3:00pm, 3:30pm- 5:00pm and 5:30pm – 7:00pm. Each time slot will have 12 available pods. Each pod will have a preassigned seating area on the tiers and preassigned swimming area in the Pools. Pods will be limited to families that reside in the same household, up to 6 members. Families that have more than 6 members within their household will need to contact the Park and Recreation Department once their time slot has been booked. All patrons under 16 must be accompanied by at least one adult, while in the facility.

Additional Safety Measures

To maintain distance and safety, the diving board, slides, and spray deck will remain closed. Food will not be permitted in the facility and there will be no vending machine items or ice cream available for purchase.

Registered participants should arrive in their swimwear and be prepared to take a cleansing shower at one of the outdoor shower towers. The larger locker rooms and bath houses will be closed. The family restrooms will be open for use this season. Face coverings will be required for entry and must be worn at all times while not in the water.

Park and Recreation has worked closely with the Needham Public Health Department to ensure all state guidance is met to operate safely. Cleaning times for the facility have been built in between each time slot. The full extent of protocols and procedures that will be followed this summer will be posted on the Park and Recreation website (www.needhamma.gov/ParkandRecreation) soon.

Summer Recess

Needham Park and Recreation is offering a new Summer Recess program for Needham residents and children who attend public school in Needham. Summer Recess will be held the weeks of July 20th, July 27th, August 3rd, and August 10th.

Programs will be held Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 1:00pm at the Eliot, Broadmeadow and Newman schools. Small teams will enjoy crafts, games, sports, and science experiments outdoors in a socially distant and safe way. Families may register their children online: https://needhampandr.activityreg.com.

Up to 90 slots will be available each week, as each group will be limited to 10 children. The program will be held primarily outdoors with indoor space available in case of inclement weather. Residents will be limited to one week of programming per child. Summer Recess will be available for rising 1st graders – rising 7th graders. The fee for a weekly session will be $150.00 per participant. Families that are eligible for fee assistance should contact the Park and Recreation office via email ([email protected]) for details on how they can register for a week of programming.

The registration timelines are as follows:

Week of:

Registration Start Date

Registration End Date

July 20th

July 8th at 9:00am

July 15th

July 27th

July 15th

July 22nd

August 3rd

July 22nd

July 29th

August 10th

July 29th

August 5th

Additional Safety Measures

Park and Recreation has worked closely with the Needham Public Health Department to ensure all state guidance is met to operate safely. Face covering and social distance guidelines will be followed as per the Needham Board of Health. All participants will be required to bring a face covering with them daily to attend and cannot attend if they are showing any symptoms of coronavirus. There will be a slightly staggered drop-off and pick-up time for each group. Once the program begins, the groups cannot be changed, and participants cannot be moved from group to group or from site to site. Siblings must be registered for the same group and families that want to attend together must register for the same group. The full extent of protocols and procedures that will be followed this summer will be posted on the Park and Recreation website (www.needhamma.gov/ParkandRecreation) soon.

Additional Info...

This press release was produced by the Town of Needham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.