Pool Update: Task Force

Tuesday, June 9th, 2020

An update on the pools…

With the change in the governor’s stay-at-home order, outdoor pools are permitted to open under local county and township guidelines. This surprised everyone, especially since it was only days before that we were directed to keep the pools closed.

On Wednesday morning, Wayne County OFFICIALLY announced that outdoor pools COULD reopen June 8 as long as they followed appropriate guidelines, including mandatory water testing and inspections by the county. All pool owners/managers were unable to take action before Wayne County officially allowed it. Sunflower, just as every other public pool, is now working to make some serious decisions. It is our understanding that most pools who are attempting to reopen (and not every pool will reopen this season) is hoping to be open by early July.

So, what to do? Our pools are not ready to open – everything has been delayed due to COVID-19. Normal opening procedures take about four weeks to complete. While work continues to get to this point, we are close but not there yet. Plus, we still would need Wayne County to do its inspection, just like close to 600 other pools in Wayne County.

Should our pools reopen, the pool experience will not resemble your experience of other years. There are guidelines from the county, CDC and Red Cross that must be implemented and observed. The number of bathers must be reduced, social distancing must be maintained, lifeguards must be hired and trained and other concerns will need to be addressed.

In order to make a best-practices decision for Sunflower, the Board has formed a task force consisting mostly residents with an expressed interest in the pools. This task force will evaluate the best practices of neighboring pools, the CDC, the county and the Red Cross, as well as create procedures that would allow the pools to open should this be the decision, and guidelines that pool-goers must abide by.

We are not saying the pools will be opening. We are not saying the pools will not be opening. We are saying that this group of concerned individuals will be working with two board members, the pool management staff and the office staff to look into best practices for Sunflower and a decision will be made soon.

We thank everyone for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.


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