Plywood covering fences at city pools

Plywood sheeting is going up at Spokane’s five outdoor city pools this summer under an order of the Spokane Regional Health District.

The chain-link fences that surround the pools are no longer considered safe under health regulations that went into effect four years ago.

This is the last summer that each of the older city pools will be used. Voters last year approved a $42.9 million bond issue to replace existing pools and build a sixth new pool at Shadle Park.

Rather than replace the existing fencing, the city has decided to fasten plywood sheeting to the fences for their last year of use. Construction on new pools is scheduled to begin after the 2008 season closes Aug. 22. The sheeting was fastened last week to the fence at Witter Pool, said Nancy Goodspeed, parks spokeswoman.

“The alternative is to go out and buy new fencing,” she said, explaining that using 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood for one year will save money.

The existing fences have spaces in their links large enough to get a toehold. As a result, the older fences can be climbed by anyone seeking to get into the pools when they are closed at night. Unsupervised entry could lead to unintended drownings, regulators had decided. As a result, state health regulations now require narrow mesh to prevent unauthorized entry.

Julie Graham, spokeswoman for the regional health district, said the new fence regulations went into effect four years ago. “This is not something new,” she said.

Apparently, the city had been granted an exemption until now, Goodspeed said, adding that the city is still requesting an exemption for this summer.

Swim season at Witter Pool has already opened for team programs and lifeguard training, which is why the sheeting was placed on the fence there last week.

All of the pools open for public swimming on June 16.

“We will get pools open,” Goodspeed said, “but it won’t be pretty.”