The pool at Roger Scott Athletic Complex will open with a temporary restroom facility after all, which will allow for a shortened summer swim season.
City of Pensacola staff will prepare the pool to open in time for the Fourth of July holiday, said Director of Parks and Recreation Tonya Byrd.
The pool was set to be closed this summer as the city moved forward with a bathroom project. The city is installing a prebuilt restroom building at the pool for $673,310 as part of a total $840,410 update to the Roger Scott Pool.
Three years ago, the city tore down the pool’s bathrooms that had been deemed unsafe in 2021, with the idea they’d be replaced the following year. That idea proved to be overly optimistic.
The city had a temporary restroom trailer to keep the pool open during the 2025 season as it looked for alternatives.
The city ordered the prebuilt restroom building in September of 2025 and site work was to begin this month to support the installation of a modular restroom facility from vendor Public Restroom Company.
With the completion coming so late in the pool season, the city decided not to open the pool this year. Restrooms at a public pool are required under health department regulations.
The circumstances around the project changed, however, 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 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+).
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Roger Scott swimming pool will open this summer after all. Here’s why
Reporting by Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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By Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
