Public pools usually aren’t free. City kids can’t always afford it. The nearest small town to my home, has a public pool. Ten dollars to get in for one afternoon.
The one here is only a couple bucks for a resident and is pretty inexpensive for the season pass. That place is great in the summer for kids and families. Of course, we are also 1 mile from Lake Michigan, so kids should know how to deal with water. You can guess which kids don’t.