Hommocks Pool Update Meeting: Coaches Scramble for Alternative Diving Site, Residents Fret Over Continuing Maintenance Problems

School Board Building Committee

(August 21, 2002) At an informational forum Wednesday night, a crowd of about 50 local residents heard an update on the Hommocks Pool situation from members of the School Board's Building Committee and other officials, and had a chance to ask questions and voice some of their concerns about ongoing problems at the popular facility. After an update by Assistant Superintendent Sarah Tate, residents were allowed three minutes each to address the committee.

Assistant Superintendent Tate said that although the pool is open, the diving boards had to be removed because there was not enough height between them and the roof beam, according to new codes imposed by the County Board of Health since the pool was built. Superintendent King said the Building Committee was notified of this problem on June 12. Several parents of competitive divers expressed concern about the threat to the MHS diving program this fall, and Athletic Director Dave McGuckin said he is trying to arrange the use of alternative facilities at Fordham University or SUNY-Purchase.

Frank Dinger, HPAG member

King expressed frustration with the County Health Department, calling the behavior of officials there "arbitrary if not capricious" in their dealings with the problems at the Hommocks Pool. She said her staff had had trouble getting answers from the Health Department. Frank Dinger, a Town of Mamaroneck resident and member of the Hommocks Pool Advisory Group, said he had used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain correspondence files from the County Health Department. He said he didn't find responses from the school district going back to the Board of Health about issues raised by the Board of Health. Ken Carl, an architect hired by the school district, replied, "We responded immediately to the Board."

Frank Pia, also with HPAG, complained that the Board of Health's code governing pools is a published document, and the district should have known about problems with compliance before the latest troubles surfaced. Pia said HPAG would like to see an engineer with experience with Olympic-sized pools brought in to advise on the situation. HPAG would also like to see control of the pool shifted from the school district to the Town of Mamaroneck.

One Larchmont resident suggested a citizen effort to contact the Board of Health directly in order to work out problems with code compliance. Superintendent King didn't think much of that idea. "That would be counterproductive," she said, insisting the School Board's Building Committee will keep making recommendations and overseeing the pool's repair schedule. The same Larchmont resident suggested quarterly meetings about the pool and better communication between the School Board and Town of Mamaroneck Recreation Department. "The Town is the biggest 'customer' of the pool," he said.

"Over twenty years, I've never seen so many problems with a pool." Frequent pool user

Superintendent King, responding to several complaints about continuing problems with the pool, said, "Perception isn't reality. Over the last five years, there were only two extended closings." She said that although local people have a right to be upset at the closings, they should realize the pool is 30 years old, is used year-round, and serves a disparate group of swimmers.

"They found feces in the pool yesterday, and the pool had to be closed." Town of Mamaroneck resident

Hygiene in the pool and locker rooms was on the minds of many speakers at the meeting. Ruth Campanelli of the Town complained, "The area under the benches and around the drains is unappetizing. It should be maintained better." Assistant Superintendent Tate agreed that hygiene has been an ongoing problem, but said the floor tiles are 30 years old and have lost much of their surface, making them hard to clean. She said the tile issue will be addressed as part of the major repairs slated for 2004.

Another resident said there should be more supervision all around the pool area, both to keep babies in diapers out of the main pool and to prevent rough-housing and theft in the locker rooms. "I don't bring my wallet to the Hommocks," he said, citing locker break-ins he attributed to unsupervised kids roaming the locker rooms. King said the Building Committee members were taking note of all the complaints and would look into ways to solve the problems. Responding to another request from the floor, she said more frequent updates on the pool situation would be made available on the district's website.

In defense of the pool, Wayne Pollock, varsity swimming coach at MHS, said, "The Hommocks Pool is a great facility for diving. Coaches from other schools always want competitions to be held here." Marlene Kolbert, a Village of Larchmont Trustee, said, "It's a great pool. It's so valuable to us." She suggested the formation of a new committee to look into raising money to build a new pool, since the School Board's Building Committee has so much on its plate now with all the construction arising from the June $17 million bond issue.

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This meeting will be shown on LMC-TV, Channel 72. Check the website for the schedule, or call 381-2002, ext. 202.

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