City offers ways to keep cool

The past two weeks have been blistering hot with little relief, but the City of Porterville has not only offered ways to keep cool, it is finally going to turn on the water feature at Fallen Heroes Park.

Afternoon temperatures have been peaking out at 102 or better for more than 12 days this summer and overall, the mercury has hit the century mark 17 times. For some, relief cannot be found at home.

During the heat spells, especially the really hot days when the mercury tops 105, the city has offered cooling centers where residents can go to cool. However, it does not require an official cooling center day to visit the city library or the Heritage Center to escape the heat. The library is open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and is also open 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. The Heritage Center is open until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, but is closed on weekends.

Of course, there is the city pool which is open seven days a week and a sure-fire way to cool off. The pool, with its large water slide, is very popular and stays open until the late afternoon and even offers evening swimming. See the city website for exact times. We are now being told the water feature at Fallen Heroes Park, the city’s newest park, will finally be turned on. The spraying water in which children, and maybe even a few adults, can play has not been turned on because of the drought and the water conservation goals placed on the city. However, the feature was not inexpensive and we are pleased to see the city making it available, even if that is on a limited basis. We are sure Fallen Heroes Park, when the water feature is on, will be the city’s most popular park.

This newspaper, along with scores of other media outlets, has made suggestions with how to cope with the heat, but the pool and the water feature are certainly some of the best ways we can think of to escape the heat, even if the thermometer does not hit triple digits.