It’s almost summertime and the City of Bradford parks department
has lots to offer children in their free time.

Parks Director Chip Comilla explained Tuesday that Barcroft Pool
at Callahan Park will be opening this weekend.

“The pool will be open from 1 to 4 and 6:30 to 8:30 (p.m.)
Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 on Sundays,” Comilla said.
“There’s always lifeguards when the pool is open.”

And the hours for the rest of the city parks are from sunrise to
sunset.

“We have five improved parks,” he explained. “An improved park
has a playground in it. Those are Callahan, Hanley Park, Burns
Memorial Park on North Kendall (Avenue), Fifth Ward Park at the end
of Rochester (Street) and Congress Street park.

“In total, we have 23 parcels of land totaling about 43 acres,”
he said. And currently, a three-man team is responsible for the
maintenance and upkeep on them.

The department has been continuously making improvements in the
city’s parks, and the attendance numbers for this past season at
the Callahan Park ice rink show it. Comilla explained the season
ended with more than 9,800 people having purchased one-day
admissions.

Last year’s pool season wasn’t quite as successful as the
skating season, with an attendance of 5,200 swimmers.

“It was slow from the weather,” Comilla explained. “The ice rink
is covered. The pool isn’t. If we hear thunder, we have to close up
the pool for 20 minutes. Everybody out of the pool for safety
reasons.”

And it’s 20 minutes from each thunder clap, not the first one –
no matter how much the kids beg and complain.

“If it rains and we can’t see the bottom of the pool, we can’t
see a kid at the bottom of the pool,” Comilla said, explaining that
visibility can also cause the pool to close.

But so far the weather forecast for the weekend calls for just
clouds and temperatures in the mid 70s – pool weather.

The parks department crew is also responsible for maintaining
the remainder of the city parks, as well as watering flowers on
Main Street and Veterans Square, cleaning up trash and covering up
and repairing the remnants of vandals.

Comilla estimates between $4,000 and $5,000 in damage is done in
city parks just in the summer time. “That comes out of my
maintenance and repair budget,” he said, adding that is money that
could be better spent elsewhere.

Watching out for vandals is something city residents can do to
help out – and to show some civic pride.

“If they see something going wrong, call the police,” Comilla
said. “Walk out of the immediate area and make a phone call. If the
police don’t know it’s going on, it’s going to keep happening.”

Comilla said some people notify him with complaints of vandals,
but he has no law enforcement power. “The police will notify me,”
he said. And then he can follow up by banning a person from the
parks and/or prosecuting them through the magistrate’s office.

Comilla commended the city police for their park patrols, and
added that people in the community can help out by watching what is
happening in their neighborhoods.

The parks can be used by more than just individuals out for a
day in the sun. Over the summer, many organizations make use of the
parks as well, Comilla explained. Rev. Dorothy Densmore of the East
End Presbyterian Church holds a summer program at Burns Memorial
Park; Relay for Life is held at Callahan Park; and the Big 30
Tailgate Party is held at Callahan Park.