Committee may OK pool use

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on January 09, 2009

The School Committee is considering re-opening the Amherst Regional Middle School pool once members have received legal counsel on the matter.

The pool closed Dec. 19 in conformance with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which requires pools to install anti-entrapment drains.

All public and semi-public pools in the country were affected by the new law but some have remained open, because they already have the special drains or because officials have elected to keep them open until they get the new equipment.

Interim Co-superintendents Helen Vivian and Alton Sprague opted to close the pool rather than risk being fined by the federal or state government, even though there is general agreement that the drain in the pool does not pose a risk.

Ron Bohonowicz, facilities manager for the schools and town, said Monday that he believes he has found a temporary solution modeled after one implemented at the Northampton YMCA. It involves building a wall over the old drain and installing a new federally certified one in its place.

The Amherst Fire Department was to supervise draining the pool this weekend and the new wall would be built soon after, Sprague said. But the pool likely wouldn't be ready to be re-opened until February.

Parents of high school swim team members told School Committee members Tuesday that that would be too late. The season ends in February, they said, and the boys and girls swim teams - which are both in first place in their leagues - won't have been able to practice anywhere near their customary 2.5 hours a day, six days a week.

Parents said they would gladly sign waivers, saying they are fully aware of the implications of the new law and approve of their children swimming in the pool despite the lack of a compliant drain.

The teams were unable to practice for two weeks, because other pools in the area were similarly unavailable, but the high school has now arranged for some practice time at the Northampton YMCA and Amherst College.

School Committee members Catherine Sanderson and Andrew Churchill suggested contacting a lawyer to determine how much liability the school district would face if it were to re-open the pool. There have been warnings of $100,000 fines for violating the law, Sprague said.

Depending on the legal advice the committee gets, members plan to call a meeting as soon as possible to vote whether to re-open the pool and delay plans to drain it this weekend.

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net