BILLINGS — As we head into another hot week in the Magic City, Billings pools will be packed.
But families now have one fewer place to swim: the South Park pool has unexpectedly closed for the season.
"I am bummed out a little bit because I didn’t get to go with my brothers this summer," says Mariah Ellis, a teenage South Park pool patron.
Two weeks and counting- that is how much time Ellis thought she had before heading back to school. But summer fun at the South Park pool has come to an end sooner than expected.
"The main circulation pump at the south pool failed the weekend previous to this one. We tried to get through as many days as we could but it got to the point it wasn’t safe to continue operating it," says Kory Thomson, recreation superintendent for Billings Parks and Recreation.
The news is obviously a bummer for kids who live in the neighborhood.
"We literally live right across from it, so we're pretty much always at the pool," said Ellis.
There is at least some good news to soften the blow. Season passes for the South Park pool will be honored at the Rose Park pool across town.
Rose Park pool is still open for those looking for one last blast of summer fun before that pool closes on Aug. 20.
