Warwick Mayor: McDermott Pool To Reopen July 26

WARWICK, RI — Mayor Frank Picozzi revealed good news today when he announced that the McDermott Pool will reopen on July 26.

The pool has been closed for nearly a year and a half, and Picozzi has consistently said that people ask him about the pool more than they ask him about any other city issue.

Starting Monday, entry to the pool will be free to Warwick residents for one month. The city will also honor pool passes that were unused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of the pool. The pool will reopen under a revised schedule and capacity limits.

The pool was forced to close in March of 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet years of deferred maintenance had left the facility in bad shape with serious mechanical problems. Picozzi, who took office in January, said repairing and renovating the pool would be one of his top priorities.

Last week Picozzi said around $150,000 has been invested in the project. He also described why some of the repairs took so long. First, he had to gain authorization for the spending. Then the city had to line up and schedule specialty contractors. Parts needed to be ordered, and some of them took a while to arrive. Toward the end, chemicals needed to be balanced and everything needed to be tested.

Live in Warwick? Click here to subscribe to our breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. You can also download our Patch mobile app on Android or iPhone.

Picozzi and Parks and Recreation Director Beverly Wiley plan to host a news conference Monday where they will answer more questions about the pool and celebrate its reopening.