Keep cool Concord: Four city pools open to residents and non-residents

Noah Weber tosses his five-year-old son Oliver into the water at the Merrill Park pool in Concord on Monday, June 23, 2025. The pool was packed with familes trying to beat the heat, GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff
Published: 06-23-2025 4:05 PM |
In the midst of the current heat wave, Concord and Penacook residents can cool off and make a splash for free at four city pools.
The Rollins, Keach, Merrill and Rolfe pools opened for the season on Sunday. The splash pad at White Park opened early and became available for the regular season on Saturday.
Those who live outside of Concord can swim too, but it costs a fee — $170 for a family season pass or $20 for a 48-hour family pass. Those rates increase by $5 starting July 1.
The Kimball and Garrison pools have not opened yet; however, the city hopes to make more pools available as it hires more lifeguards.
“We do it based off of usage, as well as that the four pools that are open right now are the ones that host our swim lessons for the city,” said Laura Bryant, the assistant director for Concord Parks and Recreation. “We still have our posting available online, so we can hire already certified lifeguards. And then we are still waiting on some staff that we have hired that have their certification class coming up this week.”
Public pool hours are 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. On weekends, pools are available from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The White Park splash pad is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends.
The Merrimack River is a popular destination to cool off too, but officials urge anyone entering the water to be cautious of strong currents and warn those who cannot swim to stay on shore.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning from Monday at 11 a.m. that will last until Tuesday at 8 p.m. It predicts a high of 99 degrees on Tuesday and a high of 90 degrees on Wednesday. It begins to cool down on Thursday, with a high of 76 and a 30 percent chance of rain, while cooling down further on Friday, with a high of 72 degrees.
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Yaa Bame can be reached at ybame@cmonitor.com