Kingston-area residents try to stay cool on another hot, hazy day in region

Thursday was another hot and hazy day across the Kingston region.

With the humidity, the temperature felt more like the low 40s. And that made the search for places to stay cool a priority.

For some, it meant a trip to a local beach, even one that’s been closed. Grass Creek Park in Kingston East has actually been posted since earlier in the week due to high E. coli levels after testing by the local health unit.

“On Monday they gave us an advisory that the water tested badly here at Grass Creek Park and so we point up these sign in the park and they’ve been here ever since,” said Paul MacLatchy, environment director with the City of Kingston.

“We won’t take them down until public health tell us to take them down.”

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Some claim there were no signs posted, but MacLatchy disagrees.

“We have heard some confusion here at Grass Creek Park and we have reached out to the public heath unit and we are working with them to see if we can make some adjustments to the signs to make them even more viewable to the public here,” MacLatchy said

MacLatchy says up-to-date public beach listings are available on the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health’s website.

Kingston’s outdoor aqua park at the Memorial Centre has also been a busy place since it reopened earlier this week, but aquatics supervisor Erica McPherson says the heat doesn’t mean COVID-19 protocols aren’t in place.

“As soon as you come into the facility you have to put on a face covering and you’ll wear that on the deck at that point you can put in your bag or towel before entering the pool,” McPherson said.

“Apart from that we have a 30-minute break between all of our swims to sanitize and clean all high-touch points”

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Global Kingston weather specialist Bill Hall says temperatures will drop this weekend with some much needed rain in the forecast.