Russellville Parks and Recreation has officially canceled all spring sports and decided to keep the public pool closed this summer because of COVID-19.

Russellville Parks and Recreation director Donnie Flanigan said he talked to Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health, and she recommended not opening the pool until at least after July 4.

“We close the pool at the beginning of August anyway, so it just didn’t make any sense for us to open,” Flanigan said. “We couldn’t ask our lifeguards to go get certified because they would probably not make enough money in that time to even cover the cost of the class.”

Flanigan said the decision was also made to officially cancel spring sports. He said Gov. Kay Ivey allowed spring sports to begin, but it did not seem feasible for Russellville to be able to meet the precautionary requirements to operate safely given the pandemic.

“I am not sure how you would go about social distancing sports, especially sports like soccer,” Flanigan said.

In addition to not being able to enforce social distancing, Flanigan said there are not enough teams in Russellville to play each other, so they depend on teams from outside areas.

“Most of the other parks and recreation teams have decided to cancel their seasons too, so we wouldn’t have anyone to play,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan said he also believed these were good decisions for child safety, given the rising number of cases in Franklin County. “As long as our numbers continue to grow, I am not sure how long it is going to be before we can have operations as normal,” Flanigan said.

All parks and recreation gymnasiums, fields and public playgrounds are currently still closed. Flanigan said the department is waiting on Ivey to open these and give instructions concerning social distancing.

RED BAY FUN PARK

Although the Russellville pool will remain closed this summer, water-lovers still have an outlet in Franklin County. According to the City of Red Bay, the Red Bay Fun Park opened for the season June 6.

• The park is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
• Daily admission is $8 per person, or $6 per person on Sunday.
• Season passes are available.
• The park now boasts a splash pad for those 4 feet tall or less. Admission for splash pad only is $3.
• Parties can be booked by calling city hall.
• Swim lessons will be offered June 15-19, $30 per child.
• Adult water aerobics will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11 a.m. beginning June 23.
• The Fun Park is located at 650 2nd Street NW, Red Bay.
• For more information call 256-356-4473 or follow City of Red Bay on Facebook.