City moves 24/7 heat-relief site to 20 West Jackson, expands services and hours

The city announced this year that it has relocated its round-the-clock (24/7) heat-relief site from the Burton Barr Library to a larger indoor facility at 20 West Jackson to expand capacity and on-site services. A staff member said the move is part of a comprehensive heat response program that includes more than 30 actions to help people stay cool and safe during the summer.

"The city has a comprehensive heat response program that consists of more than 30 actions designed to keep people cool, safe, and comfortable during the summer," the staff member said. The speaker said this is the second year the city has invested in 24/7 and extended heat-relief sites and that officials had made "important changes" to components of the heat response plan for the current season.

According to the staff member, the new site at 20 West Jackson provides "tremendously expanded capacity, inside," and will give more opportunities for people to enter for heat relief and to connect on-site with social and health services. The staff member said that those services are intended to help address other challenges that may be motivating people to seek heat relief.

The city also said it is changing the operational model for extended-hour cooling centers. Staff announced that those centers will offer full library services until 10 p.m. in addition to continuing to provide heat relief during extended hours.

These remarks were presented as an operational update; no formal motion or vote on the relocation or operational changes was recorded during the remarks. The comments indicate the changes are already part of the city's current heat-response operations for the season.