City Council Approves Legislation Providing Free Access to City Pools; Outlines Upcoming Budget Priorities
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation during its remote meeting Tuesday to offer free access to the City’s 12 outdoor swimming pools for all operating hours during summer 2020 (Legislative Reference №20-O-1207).
The legislation is aimed at expanding access for families regardless of income and is particularly focused on Atlanta’s children of color, roughly 64 percent of whom don’t know how to swim, according to a national study conducted by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. The City has made recent efforts to expand access to its pools, including providing free swim hours and free admission during Memorial Day Weekend in 2019.
“Making our city’s public pools free for all Atlanta families is an intentional step to ensure equitable access for all kids, regardless of their family’s income,” said Council member Matt Westmoreland, who introduced the legislation. “I’m proud that we will now provide free access to our pools. Being a strong swimmer is a life-saving skill that all children should have the opportunity to develop.”
“Providing free access to our City’s swimming pools during the summer is truly a great opportunity for families in our community,” said Council member Marci Collier Overstreet, a co-sponsor of the legislation. “In District 11, we have two beautiful splash pads at John A. White Park and Adams Park, which are really wonderful amenities. By offering free access to the City’s pools during the summer, it will be a tremendous step toward connecting our community and helping families. I’m excited and proud of this effort because I know it will help encourage active lifestyles and be a boost to the overall quality of life in our city.”
Other items approved Tuesday include:
• A resolution requesting that the mayor takes into consideration and funds priorities that the Atlanta City Council recommends be included in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget (Legislative Reference №20-R-3425).
• An ordinance authorizing the City to acquire certain property interests necessary for the completion of the Upper Proctor Creek Sewer Capacity Relief Project: Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Historic Vine City (Legislative Reference №20-O-1193). The project is designed to provide additional sewer capacity for the surrounding area.
• A resolution authorizing the City to enter into a project management agreement with the Buckhead Community Improvement District for a scoping study for intersection improvements for Piedmont Road, Roswell Road, and Habersham Road in an amount not to exceed $195,000 (Legislative Reference №20-R-3647).
• An ordinance lifting the moratorium imposed on the acceptance of any application for zero-lot-line subdivisions of land for parcels within the Grant Park Neighborhood (Legislative Reference №20-O-1210). The City implemented a moratorium on the acceptance of zero-lot-line subdivision applications for the purpose conducting a zoning review for properties located within the Grant Park Neighborhood. The review aimed to evaluate the impact of newly subdivided lots that were not within the characteristic of the neighborhood’s historic lot patterns.
The Council also immediately adopted a resolution amending resolution 20-R-3002 to prioritize granting localities the ability to employ rent stabilization strategies over rent control and requesting the Georgia General Assembly convene a study committee to explore the impact of granting localities the ability to institute rent stabilization within their jurisdictions and to allow carve outs for certain vulnerable populations.
