By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A-h-h-h summer. The time of year for nature camps, lunches in the park, and the occasional poo in the pool.
“It’s a day in the life of parks and rec,” Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Otley reported to the parks and rec board on Tuesday.
Though much of the summer has been free of fecal incidents, accidents closed the pool in City Park on Monday evening and again on Tuesday, Otley said.
“Things happen,” she said.
Some incidents can be taken care of relatively quickly, by pool staff shocking the area where a solid is found. But in the case of runny incidents, the entire pool may have to be shut down for up to 48 hours.
That was the case today, when the pool had to be closed and the splashpad was opened at no charge.
Otley assured that the pool staff responds appropriately to poop problems.
“We will follow the protocols we need to follow,” regardless of how much pool patrons want to swim. “It depends on what came out, and how it’s treated.”
Back in 2023, the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Board took action to require all children who aren’t potty trained to wear reusable swim pants instead of disposable swim diapers. The reusable swim pants are provided to families at no charge.
Disposable swim diapers had been required in the past, but they tend to fill up with water as soon as children enter the pool – leaving no room for leaks from young swimmers.
Pool staff at the front desk offer parents the reusable swim pants, and reminders come across the loud speakers, suggesting parents take their children to the restrooms for potty breaks.
“We really appreciate people’s patience and understanding,” Otley said.
The parks and recreation department does not want to turn families away if they are unaware of the rule or unable to afford reusable swim pants. The swim pants can be taken home by families, and reused when they return to the pool.
In 2023, the Bowling Green Community Foundation provided a $2,440 grant to purchase about 1,000 of the swim pants. The cost of the poop-trapping pants is far less than the cost of treating feces that reaches the pool water. Otley said another grant will be sought to purchase more reusable swim pants for next year.
Treating escaped excrement varies per incident, and can take as long as 48 hours to complete. The costs for the chemicals, staff time for clean up, and lost revenue due to closure range from $750 to $3,625 per fecal incident.
The city pool has also had to shut down for periods due to cloudy water caused by sunscreen being liberally applied right before swimmers enter the water. That does the water and the swimmers no good, since the chemicals come right off in the water, Otley said.
On 95 degree days, the water can get quite foggy. “That’s a lot of sunscreen and a lot of bodies,” said Recreation Coordinator Ivan Kovacevic.
So staff at the pool front desk have also been getting the word out that sunscreen is not effective if sprayed or lathered on moments before jumping in, reported Operations Coordinator Mike Przysiecki.
Park board member Maria Simon said she has been impressed by the pool staff. “It is a really hard job to manage the public,” she said.
Otley reported that the revenue at the pool is ahead of the revenue at the same time last year.
“Spring started out really crummy. Then it got real hot, real fast,” she said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Kovacevic reported on summer camps. So far, 131 kids have participated in recreation camps, 64 in Safety Town, 120 in nature camps, 64 in a Horizon Youth Theatre camp, and 268 in sports camps. And the parks have hosted weekly concerts and lunches.
Otley reported that work is continuing on the pickleball courts outside the community center. Six of the eight courts are completed, and open sporadically to players. A grand opening will be held when the project is finished.
