Pool prepares for drain changes

Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Greencastle city pool is currently drained to prepare for drain changes.

Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department is working hard to have the public swimming pool at Robe-Ann Park ready for the 2009 swimming season.

There is much work to be done before opening day, which is Memorial Day weekend.

"We are worried about being open on time," said Parks and Recreation Director Rod Weinschenk. "That is why we started now."

On Dec. 19, 2008, a federal law -- the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Act -- was passed that mandated all public pools have a redesigned main drain cover. The idea is to protect swimmers from being caught by the suction of the drain and held at the bottom of the pool.

Park and Recreation Department employee David Bault worked Tuesday to drain the remaining water and ice from the pool. All water must be removed in order for Spear Technologies, Roachdale, to take initial measurements of both main drains and the bottom of the pool.

Those measurements will be sent to Water Technologies in Beaver Dam, Wis., which will make recommendations. Spear Technologies will most likely make the necessary changes to bring the pool up to code.

Weinschenk said the pool has two main drains, which gives a less chance of a swimmer being entrapped by the suction.

The new drain covers give Weinschenk a reason to worry, he said.

The covers are a concave design, which make them raised from the bottom of the pool. His fear is the cover in the baby pool could cause stubbed toes.

More information on opening day and prices will be available at a later date.

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  • No, they need these - it's a safety issue. I don't know how the drains and filtration system of a pool works either - but there have been news stories in the past couple of years about swimmers having an arm, hair sucked into the pool (and spa) drain and pinning them to the bottom of the pool. I don't know why anyone would want to swim around them anyway - they creap me out.

    As for the stubbed toes at the baby-pool. Can the edges be coated with something ?

    -- Posted by Scripted Spontaneity on Thu, Feb 26, 2009, at 12:22 PM
  • I know of two stories on the news about

    kids getting sucked in. The one little finally

    died..her extremeties were all sucked out.

    I definately think this is money well spent.

    -- Posted by Iamforgiven on Thu, Feb 26, 2009, at 12:38 PM
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