Published: July 14, 2008 04:05 pm            

Pool needs good cleaning, polite staff

Every summer my daughter and I enjoy the many fun things to do in Mercer County. From camping, hiking, fairs and swimming our area offers a multitude of great summer fun.

Unfortunately on two separate visits to Princeton Pool we were shocked by the apparent lack of cleaning taking place. The pool had a filthy ring around it from weeks of use without cleaning. On one visit the filter stopped up causing the slide to be closed for 30-40 minutes while they used a grill cleaner to scrub off the skin cells, hair and suntan lotion that had built up.

On our next visit July 3 we found the same filthy ring only worse after two more weeks of poor cleaning. They had four life guards and a male manager all sitting together gossiping. Not one of them paying the slightest attention to the kids in the pool.

I went up to speak to him about the condition of the pool and the apparent lack of supervision. He became very rude. He asserted that they were not paid enough to clean. Getting no assurances that the water was indeed safe, I drove down to the parks and recreation building to complain.

There I was told by an angry maintenance man that they were not required to clean the pool because they dumped two five gallon buckets of chlorine in it a day and that would kill anything. I told him that I had worked at pools in my youth and we were required to clean and test the water daily.

At the very least these folks need a lesson in dealing with the public.

Every year we hear of kids dying from the water in pools. Don’t let our pool become one of those. Where are the adults in charge?

Donna C. Irwin

Bluefield, W.Va.

        

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