Kiddie Pool Rules – “It Is About Convenience”

The Seven Lakes North & South Board of Directors held a meeting on Thursday, August 24th at the North Side Clubhouse.

During this meeting, a woman explained to the Board that she had a motorized scooter that she wanted to use to get from her home to the mail house.  She was told that she would need insurance, as required by law for the highways.

“But these are not highways,” she objected.

The Board was approached by another woman who referenced the rule about children with diapers being confined to the kiddie pool.

The Board determined that the two options for the community were to allow children with swim diapers and plastic pants into the main pool, or to confine them to the kiddie pool. At the previous meeting, the Board was met with a tie of votes.

“FirstHealth allows diapers in their pool…,” she explained. “All the neighboring pools are not against diapers… Just because you open the pool to [children] doesn’t mean they’re going to flock to it.”

Another woman expressed her concern for disease being spread in the case of a diaper leak.

“This is just allowing it to happen,” she said.

The Board acknowledged that hiring a lifeguard may be best for older children who want to swim in the main pool while parents watch younger siblings in the kiddie pool.

“The pool area is designed to have children in the kiddie pool,” one man said.

It was explained that the kiddie and main pools have two different water pipe systems – allowing them to be cleaned separately.  This means that if the kiddie pool must be shut down for cleaning, the main pool may remain open for use.

The kiddie pool has been closed three times this summer due to accidents.

Board Member Bob Racine observed that had these accidents taken place in the main pool, it would have been closed.

“I’ll be changing my vote,” he said.

Board Member Jared Fravel referenced the comment regarding the spread of disease.

“Fecal matter is on everyone who gets in the pool,” he said.  “The chlorine kills most germs in less than a minute… This is not a health and safety issue; it is about convenience… [Do we want to] inconvenience one group for the whole summer or inconvenience the whole group for a short period?”

“I disagree,” Board Member David Withers said.  “The norovirus takes ten days to kill… Swim diapers give a fake sense of security.  It doesn’t guarantee no contamination.  Do we want to risk someone getting contaminated?”

The Board voted three to two that un-potty trained children should be confined to the kiddie pool and required to wear swim diapers and plastic pants at all times.

The Board also referenced the issue of the second building that had been built on a property in Seven Lakes North – a building that goes against regulations but was approved by the Architectural Review Board (ARB).  This building has electricity, heating, and air conditioning.

Dr. Ann Turner, in charge of the ARB, told the Board that the extra building was considered to be an extravagant play house.

The family had approached the ARB with the request of having the play house built.  When they were denied permission, they presented documents in which previous heads of the committee had given permission other play houses to be built.

“How could [we] tell them ‘No’ when other [families] had been told ‘Yes’?” Dr. Turner asked.

She explained that the building was at the back of the property where it wouldn’t cause problems.

“The ARB needs to be in compliance with… [what] the Board establishes,” Withers said.

The Board discussed whether or not building projects should be approved by the Board.  The Board decided to discuss the matter in a future Board meeting.