LR opens centers for cooling off in summer

City boosts access during heat wave

Charles Baird, an activities supervisor for the Dunbar Community Center in Little Rock, cleans the banquet hall Friday to prepare the space as a cooling center for people looking for relief from the hot weather. The city opened four cooling centers Friday.
Charles Baird, an activities supervisor for the Dunbar Community Center in Little Rock, cleans the banquet hall Friday to prepare the space as a cooling center for people looking for relief from the hot weather. The city opened four cooling centers Friday.

Little Rock opened four cooling centers Friday as much of the state was under a heat advisory.

The centers provide a place for residents who need to seek relief from the heat during the day and into the evening on weekdays.

The Dunbar Community Center at 1001 W. 16th St. will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It will open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and is closed Saturday and Sunday.

The Southwest Community Center at 6401 Baseline Road will open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

The East Little Rock Community Center at 2500 E. Sixth St. and the Stephens Community Center at 3720 W. 18th St. will open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those centers are closed Saturday and Sunday.

"It is vitally important that we provide these centers to those in our city who may need a place to go during the hottest times of the day," City Manager Bruce Moore said in a news release. "We know that while many residents have air conditioning, there are those who don't."

The city will monitor the heat to decide how long the extended hours will last.

The city also is asking residents to check on neighbors, especially adults over age 65, children under age 4 and people with disabilities or medical conditions.

Pets should have an adequate water supply and be monitored for signs of heat exhaustion, and no animal or person should be left in a parked car, the news release said.

"Extreme heat events are a leading cause of ... weather-related deaths in the country," it said.

Metro on 06/25/2016

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