You have to love election season. The pool at Roger Scott Athletic Complex will open with a temporary restroom facility for a shortened summer swim season.
City of Pensacola staff will prepare the pool to open in time for the 4th of July holiday, said Tonya Byrd, Director of Parks and Recreation.
The circumstances around the project changed when the business owner who was working on site preparation had an emergency situation that impacted his ability to work on the project. That circumstance allowed the City to ask local and state Department of Health officials for a temporary solution that would allow the pool to open for at least part of the summer.
“We certainly hope that business owner is back on their feet soon. In the meantime, everyone at the City is grateful to our partners at the Department of Health who allowed us to apply for a variance given these unusual circumstances,” said Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves.
The exact operating schedule is to be determined based on YMCA Northwest Florida’s ability to secure certified lifeguards. The YMCA operates city pools, including hiring lifeguards.
Site work was to begin this month to support the installation of a modular restroom facility from vendor Public Restroom Company. The facility, which will cost $673,310 including site preparation work, is the lion’s share of an $840,410 investment the City has made in the Roger Scott Pool. That investment includes repairing the roof at the storage building, replacing the shade coverings at the picnic table area, refurbishing the water slide, and resurfacing the baby pool.
Byrd said the permanent restroom facility will be delivered later this summer and once the 2026 pool season ends, it will be installed.
When it opens, Roger Scott Pool will host open swim hours only. Daily admission at Roger Scott Pool is $5 for adults; $4 for children (ages 3-17); free for children 2 and under; and $4.5 for seniors (ages 50+).