Eastside Messenger - May 31st, 2020

PAGE 2 - EASTSIDE MESSENGER - May 31, 2020
eastside
POOL
Continued from page 1
However, when asked if the pool will
open, Canal Winchester Mayor Mike Ebert
said the short answer is, “No.”
“Even though the governor says, ‘yes you
can open,’ the public health directors are
both in agreement and are not recommending
opening of pools” said Ebert on May 20.
“Even though that is not a direct order, we
feel the requirements for us to open the
pool will be more than our lifeguards will
be able to handle as they have had no training
of the new requirements and whoever is
going to train them has no training either.
If we were to open, it would not be the experience
our attendees have had in the past.
All social distancing policies will need to be
followed, chairs will be a minimum of six
feet apart, everyone in the pool will remain
six feet apart. The daily admission at any
given time would be about one third or less
of our normal attendance.”
Ebert said there would be no gatherings
allowed and attendees would be required
to walk in specific directions to enter or
exit the pool, go to the concession stand or
use the restroom. Breaks would likely be
more frequent and last for 30 minutes to
allow for sanitizing of nearly every surface
people encounter.
“If someone who visits the pool does
come down with the virus at some point,
everyone who was at the pool on the same
day likely will be contacted by Franklin
County Public Health and will need to go
into quarantine,” said Ebert. “This and
many more details are why we have not
changed our position on keeping the pool
closed. Canal Winchester residents have
been doing a fantastic job of following the
social distancing orders and not every community
can say that. Even though this was
a very tough decision to make, my biggest
concern is the safety of our residents.”
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, there is no evidence
that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be
spread through the water in pools, hot tubs,
spas, or water play areas. Proper operation
and maintenance of facilities, including disinfection
with chlorine and bromine, should
inactivate the virus in the water.
CW
Continued from page 1
Day festival is a far cry from the first fairs
once held in an opera house, skating rink,
and buildings along the railroad. According
to the book, “Canal Winchester Ohio: The
Second Ninety Years,” by Frances Steube
and Lillian Carroll, beginning in 1906, the
fair moved to a six-acre tract on Columbus
and Winchester Pike and later to a ballpark.
No fair was held in 1914 and Carroll
and Steube could not locate records of
another until 1925 when a Canal
Winchester Festival and Community Fair
was held in October of that year. Names
and locations changed through the years
until 1960 when three local men organized
the first Labor Day celebration with a
chicken barbecue dinner and parade.
“Many people believe the city of Canal
www.columbusmessenger.com
Messenger photo by Rick Palsgrove
The Canal Winchester Municipal Pool will
be closed for the 2020 season.
DeWine’s Outdoor Recreation Advisory
Group created a detailed list of guidelines
and best practices for pool facilities to follow.
They included the installation of physical
barriers–lane lines in the pool or chairs
and tables on the deck–and visual cues,
such as tape on pool decks to ensure everyone
not related stays at least six feet apart.
In addition, pools are mandated to discourage
or prohibit shared objects, including
goggles, nose clips, and snorkels, and
close any non-essential areas where people
could potentially congregate.
They are also required to develop and
implement a reduced maximum capacity to
allow six feet of distance between users
and develop revised deck layouts in standing
and seating areas, so individuals
remain at least six feet apart.
Two letters supporting the continued
closure of the pool were included in written
comments shared on the May 18 Canal
Winchester City Council agenda.
“I personally do not believe the pool
should be opened for the 2020 season,”
wrote resident Rachel Radford. “This is
due to several factors, but mainly people
cannot, and will not, socially distance. The
virus has not had a chance to fully spread
in the public and thus I do not feel there is
enough scientific data or evidence to support
a reopening. We can’t control people,
but we can control if there are places to
congregate in large numbers.”
Madeleine Dickerson shared similar
comments, stating, “Why open up a very
small pool packed with kids and adults
who won’t be distancing? This could be a
disaster and not worth the risk.”
Winchester organizes this event each year
and that is not accurate,” said Coolman.
“The Canal Winchester Labor Day Festival
Committee is an independent, non-profit
organization run entirely by volunteers
who work hard each year to bring this wonderful
event to Canal Winchester. The city
is one of our biggest sponsors in that they
grant us the ability to use their streets,
sidewalk and many city workers help with
the festival each year. Our committee had
been working hard to make this another
fantastic event. So much of the work had
already been done and a lot of the pieces
were already in place. It saddened us to
have to make this decision and it was not
made lightly, but it was made with the
well-being of our community in mind.”