Revamped policy for Pyramid pool
Andrea Macko, Staff Reporter The pool at the Pyramid Recreation Centre made a splash when it opened, but its rules are making a different kind of impression on potential swimmers, and one that council attempted to fix at its Monday night meeting.
According to the staff report, the town has received complaints for a variety of reasons involving supervision of children; namely, that one parent (or guardian above the age of 16) can only supervise two children at a time, and that babysitters (or siblings) under the age of 16 can’t act as
guardians.
The new policy was created to be similar to other area community pools, as well as in conjunction with the Lifesaving Society, which provides guidelines and tools for pool safety, and works in conjunction with the province on developing standards for all public pools.
Since the pool’s opening in mid-April, Ische told council that there have been four rescues, “a surprisingly typical number” – and two of those were during swim tests to determine if children were capable of swimming safely in the Pyramid pool (all of the town’s swimming facilities have a specific test to determine if younger swimmers will be safe in the water).
The community services committee has met a number of times to work on a new aquatics policy for the Pyramid pool, in order to “minimize risk while maximizing use,” according to Coun. Bill Mustard, who added that “we cannot be seen to be lax or lenient (in our policy) if there is an accident.”
Under the new policy, children seven years old and under, regardless of swimming ability, are not allowed in the pool unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least 12 years old, to a maximum of two children per guardian, and must remain the shallow end.
The same rule applies for children aged eight to 10 who have not passed a
swimming test. However, the ratio of non-swimmers to parents or guardians
may be increased to eight to one if they wear approved life jackets (either
their own or borrowed from the facility), and if they stay in the shallow
end.
Council acknowledged that there will be mixed-age groups that will not
exactly conform to the guidelines; the most senior lifeguard will be
contacted upon their arrival to determine the best
policy.
In the review of policies from area pools, Coun. Marg Luna noted that
Goderich had included a clause that babies in car seats cannot be left
unattended on deck while their parents are in the pool, as infants can
become overheated in pool areas, and wondered if St. Marys had a similar
policy.
“We absolutely don’t allow this,” Ische confirmed. “Our policy is right in
line with surrounding municipalities’.”
Buck and Doe policy
Still on the community services front, while the Pyramid pool’s policy may
be in line with other communities, its Buck and Doe policy will not be – and
that’s a good thing, in council’s mind.
The new policy for Buck and Doe events is that no person under the age of
majority (19) shall be allowed within the licensed area, which, while
somewhat limiting, will ultimately protect the town, in Coun. Gary Boyce’s
mind.
“The liquor inspector will be much happier with us (with the new policy),”
Boyce noted, explaining that the problem lies not with the servers, but for
people buying alcohol for underage drinkers – as these events are
fundraisers, the sales of alcohol are an event-driver; this problem isn’t as
rampant at other events, such as weddings.
Mayor Hahn noted that, with the layout of the community centre, there could
be a non-licensed “auxiliary room” provided for underage attendees.