Mayor Cantrell Kicks Off Summer Recreation Season with “Splash Day”

Data Staff Writers

Mayor LaToya Cantrell helped celebrate the opening of the Summer Recreation Season with the Annual “Splash Day” Event on June 3rd, joined by officials with New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission and other elected officials and supporters.

“We know that the future of our city truly rests within our young people, and how we provide them with the tools and the resources to have fun and to have recreation and to be all that they can be,” Mayor Cantrell said. “We’re not just talking, but we’re really walking it. We want to give our families what they need.”

Mayor Cantrell capped off the event by joining NORD CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. and summer campers for a dip in the pool. Campers included participants in the Passion Dance Camp, held at Lyons Recreation Center, and from Kingsley House’s Camp that features STEM, swimming and water safety instruction.

NORD opens 17 pools for the summer, 13 of which are outdoors and located in communities across New Orleans. That includes Pradat Pool in New Orleans East and the Gert Town Pool, both of which are enjoying their second year of service. The Pradat Pool was reopened in 2018 for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, while the Gert Town Pool opened next to the new home of the Second District Station for the New Orleans Police Department. The Gert Town Pool is the newest indoor/year-round pool that also offers competition swimming. Pools will be open as early as 8 a.m. and close as late as 8 p.m. weekdays.

All pools will open on Saturdays and some will open on Sundays.

NORD also offers a robust package of summer recreation opportunities for residents of all ages that include aquatics, athletics, cultural arts, fitness, outdoors programming and special events.

Download the NORD summer brochure by clicking here. https://nordc.org/activities/summer-camp/

“It is critical to our city that we continue to invest in our public pools and aquatics programming such as swim lessons and water safety classes. Being a city that is surrounded by water, knowing how to swim, or basic water skills can be lifesaving,” said NORD CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. “We have made great progress in improving and bringing NORD Facilities and Programming back online – and look forward to continuing the great work, along with Mayor Cantrell, and her administration, NORD Commission and City Council to move NORD and the City of New Orleans forward.”

Barabino also thanks NORD’s community partners, including Hertz Investment Group, Boh Brothers, Sodexo, No Kid Hungry, and Share Our Strength.

Also participating: District B City Councilmember Jay H. Banks and District D City Councilmember Jared Brossett; NORDC Commissioners Kimberly Abramson, Raquel Dufauchard and Randy Greenup; NORD Foundation Vice Chairman Ernest Price; and Rhonda Jackson of Share Our Strength.