New Britain Public Pools Open for the Summer Season

By Olivia Jablonski

Managing Editor

Summer has finally arrived and with hotter days that are soon approaching, a swimming pool is the perfect getaway to cool off for the season.

On Saturday, June 18, two New Britain pools located at A.W. Stanley Park and Willow Brook Park opened to the public early in the afternoon.

The pools are open for seven days a week with a day swim from 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Guests must be seven years of age and older to attend recreational swim, or otherwise they should be accompanied by a person of 14 years of age and older, according to a press release from the New Britain’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The pools will then reopen for a night swim from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Guests must be 12 years of age and older to attend this swim or be accompanied by a person 14 years of age and older.

“With school being out for the summer, I invite residents to cool down and have some fun—it’s an affordable activity for the whole family!” said Mayor of New Britain Erin Stewart.

New Britain resident, Courtney Jones goes to the pool at Stanley Park almost every week. Although he goes to Stanley often, he likes going to the pool at Willow Park more because of his love for diving boards.

“I like [Willow] better because they don’t have the diving boards anymore at A.W.,” Jones said.

Since there are no diving boards at Stanley, there is a ledge to jump off of if one wishes to hop into a fresh pool of water.

William Dantzler, also a resident of New Britain, attends Stanley with his friend and siblings at least once a week every week.

“It used to be really popular at nights growing up,” said Dantzler. “When I was younger, I remember a lot of younger people used to come during the family swim and would have a lot of fun at night but now that doesn’t really happen anymore.”

Dantzler also claims that Willow is much nicer and newer looking than Stanley. The pool includes a water slide, a diving board, and some splash pads that are located in the shallow section of the pool.

“Even though Willow is nicer, there is much more swimming space at Stanley. Both pools are pretty fun to go to and the quality has been consistent,” said Dantzler.

Daily entrance fees are $3.00 for those 17 and younger, and $4.00 for adults 18 and older. Children that are five years of age or younger can attend for free.

For those that are residents in the city of New Britain, it is highly recommended to purchase a season pass. The price for an individual would be $30.00 and for a family is $50.00. Passes can be purchased at the New Britain Parks and Recreation office located at City Hall on 27 West Main Street Monday through Friday from 8:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Swimming lessons are also provided by both pools. They are $16.00 per person and are a two-week session. The next session starts on July 5. Lessons range from Parent and Tot classes to Level 6 Fitness Swimmer. They are held from 9:00am to 12:00 p.m. Visit the parks and recreation section of newbritainct.gov for information on registration.