Amherst middle school pool must close

Published on December 05, 2008

The Amherst Middle School pool will close Dec. 19 to comply with a new federal law requiring anti-entrapment drains.

Dozens of pools in the state will have to close by Dec. 20, when the new law goes into effect, interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian said last week.

School officials knew the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act would kick in by the end of the year but had thought the state would allow waivers, Vivian said. The school district has looked into how much it would cost to replace the current drain with an anti-vortex drain required by the new law and received a $110,000 estimate.

"We don't have that right now," Vivian told Amherst Regional School Committee members. Violators of the law face a $100,000 fine, she said.

School and town officials would have to gauge whether to find the money to pay for a new drain "or whether we're not going to have a pool until the economy turns around," Vivian said.

"This happened so quickly we really couldn't respond," said Michael Hussin, chairman of the committee.

School Committee member Tracy Farnham suggested seeking donations from the thousands of people who have benefited from the pool over the years.

- MARY CAREY