Keller @ Large: Why Can't Boston Open Public Pools For Heat Wave?
BOSTON (CBS) - Despite our summer sizzler and record high heat in Boston, the fences around the pools remained locked tight on Thursday.
Boston's two outdoor public pools will not open until the weekend.
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Why couldn't the city open them a few days early?
"Unusual heat so early on. We have about about 27 sprinklers in the city that are open right now our young people can go to," said Mayor Menino.
The city and the state did hastily open a number of outdoor cooling facilities in response to this heat wave. But, what's unusual heat?
This same thing happened in the fall of 2009 when a hot spell hit after state facilities had shut down for the season. Looking ahead to this fall, most public outdoor pools are slated to close well before Labor Day.
Wouldn't it make more common sense to time the opening of the outdoor pools to when the kids are getting out of school?
"Well, it depends on, it's an issue of getting the lifeguards," said Mayor Menino.
Let's be fair about this, the weather around here can be unpredictable. But, if the politicians and bureaucrats fail to realize that hot weather can and will hit Boston before June 23 or after late August, and repeatedly fail to plan accordingly, that starts to become a predictable - and unflattering - pattern.
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