WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The town of West Hartford has not yet deemed it safe to open their pools or splash pads around town, much to the dismay of the residents looking to beat the heat this week.
It comes down to safety, says Bob McCue who is the deputy director of emergency services for West Hartford. McCue said that Covid-19, “certainly creates more challenges,” after being asked about the prospect of opening cooling centers.
“How do you keep social distancing at a cooling center? How do you address it if someone is COVID positive and needs relief?” McCue added, “normally people would be able to go to a pool or splash pad, they could go shopping, to a senior center or library and all those are either closed or severely limited.”
McCue noted that there are plans to look at high school cafeterias – spacious areas – for when the next heatwave should arrive.
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“Where everyone can spread out,” he said. There is hope in West Hartford that splash pads will be open in the weeks ahead but no date was offered for when that would be.
