Pool Update – June 5, 2020
The Dutch Creek Village HOA Board has gotten a lot of questions in the last few weeks regarding the opening of the pool. We’ve reported that we intended to open it on June 8 in accordance with Governor Polis’ Tier 3 guidelines. However, things have changed. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment just issued their Guidelines for Personal Recreation and in it there are guidelines specific to swimming pools (these are included at the end of this letter). Some of the guidelines, such as placing markers on the deck at 6-foot intervals and providing additional signage encouraging social spacing, would be easy enough to comply with. However, other guidelines are extremely rigorous for small community pools such as ours and would be very difficult and expensive to implement. They would require a fulltime staff member to be present at all times to monitor and enforce social spacing, to ensure that no more than 50 swimmers are in the pool at any time, and to disinfect the restrooms and all frequently touched surfaces every hour. This is simply not something that the HOA has the money to do. We considered opening the pool without all these safeguards and to rely upon residents to self-monitor and to do necessary routine cleaning if the HOA provided the cleaning materials. However, HOA insurance does not cover pandemics. Should the HOA be entangled in any way in a Covid19 lawsuit the HOA would be liable for all costs.
It is for these reasons that the board has made the decision not to open the pool at this time. We know how much residents enjoy the pool and rely upon it for summer recreation for themselves and their kids. We have been back and forth over this issue many times and have even consulted our HOA lawyer. Right now we think that this is the best thing to do. WE WILL REVISIT THIS QUESTION AGAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND WHENEVER THE GENERAL SITUATION CHANGES.
Outdoor swimming pools
This includes any pool open to the public, including but not limited to municipal pools, homeowner association pools, pools at fitness centers, hot tubs, and developed hot springs. Full CDC guidance on COVID-19 pool safety can be found here.
- Limit the pool to 50% capacity, up to 50 people, whichever is fewer.
- Encouraged to establish a reservation system to space out visitor attendance, aid in contract tracing if exposures occur, and to allow for equitable use of the facility.
- Take steps, such as closing off a series of lockers, to promote physical distancing and reduce gatherings in restrooms, showers, and locker rooms.
- It is strongly encouraged to limit pool activity to lap swim. If you permit open swim, make efforts to reduce in-poor interactions.
- All frequently touched surfaces and shared objects such as handrails, chairs, and tables should be disinfected every hour between use.
- Surfaces in restrooms and locker rooms should be routinely cleaned every hour.
- Provide physical cues or guides (for example, lane lines in the water or chairs and tables on the deck) and visual cues (for example, tape on the decks, floors, or sidewalks) and signs to ensure that staff, patrons, and swimmers stay at least 6 feet apart from members of other households, both in and out of the water.