With whistle, Nutter official opens city pools for the summer

It may have been a cool Monday afternoon, but that didn’t seem to bother several dozen children who waited patiently at the Awbury Recreation Center’s swimming pool for the official start of 2012 pool season.

With swimsuits on, the kids sat poolside chanting the rules of the Northwest Philadelphia pool with a lifeguard. They also listened for their signal to jump in, that being a whistle blown by Mayor Michael Nutter.

The mayor, who typically jumps in the pool with them, said time constraints prevented him from taking a dip. He noted, however, that this event is the best indicator that summer has started. (In this case, it was two days before the season’s calendar debut.)

“We are tremendously excited about the kickoff of another wonderful summer in Philadelphia, and pool season,” said Nutter. “Just like every summer, families, friends and neighbors have places where they love to come together and share great memories and it’s important to provide access to our pools to all city residents.”

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