Breaking the rules at the neighborhood pool

[Chris2597]

We have a beautiful pool in our neighborhood that is run by the neighborhood and management co...the pool is attached to a 5 acre park, with tables and trails. This is all private and for the use of our subdivision...we have an electronic gate key for the pool. Last weekend we found a flyer on the door that a local church was having a picnic and "invited" the neighborhood to have a hot dog on them...we drove by and every parking spot was taken, curbs were full and they had placed a sign up on the pool that it was closed for their party. One of their members lives in the hood. The pool has gaurds set hours and is swim at your own risk other times...so it is almost always open....Then last night dh and I went after 9pm, which is adult swim from 9-11 and a family was there with young teens swimming....we were fine but then they started jumping, yelling, and taking the entire pool..The parents were as bad as the kids...so speaking up would have just induced a confrontation. .most people go at that time to have quiet time or swim laps....
Dh says that he is going to suggest that the pool have set hours and the gate locked as people are not self governing themselves to the pool rules.... I dont want to loose the extended pool hrs..
Has anyone had this happen at their pool? and how was it resolved?

 

[DISUNC]

My community made very specific opening/closing times, and STOPPED all special swims...since they were impossible to enforce.

It's anybody or nobody from 10am to 8:00pm!!!! Thats it!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We have county run and city run pools. IF you have a lifeguard there--it is easy to enforce special swim times. They do it all the time.

If the pool were unattended, I can see how that would be difficult. In our local neighborhoods that have community pools, gatherings as you mention would have to be coordinated with the HOA. And if it is as impacting as that gathering was, they would send out an announcement (in the more prestigious communities anyway). (And I mean a real announcment--not an invite for a closed event's leftovers).

 

[bsmcneil]

did somebody pool hop there too?

 

[saschuster]

We had huge problems at our pools last summer. We have one pool in the front of the subdivison that is a little smaller than the back pool. Everyone thought of the pool in back as the family pool because it has a kid pool with a mushroom that rains water. We were there one day last summer and about 15 teens showed up (maybe 2 or 3 lives here) All with baggy pants, long sleeved shirts, huge backpacks, brought a huge radio and ordered pizza. They started turning up the music loud and the language in the songs and from the kids was awful. A few parents took their kids and left while a few of us stayed. My friend asked them to turn down the music and they did until she turned her back and walked off and it was back up even louded. She got her kids and told a few of the girls they were very rude and one of them started calling her names and she left....followed by a few of the boys on their bikes. So that prompted our HOA board members (we do it ourself instead of a company) to hire a college kid that lives here to police the pools abd basketball courts. He calmed things down but he didn't come back this summer. The trouble started all over again until their hired someone to watch the pools again. They have now officially named the back pool the family pool and unless you are over 18 you have to have a parent with you or you have to go to the front pool. Things have been so much better this summer with the new rules so hopefully it will keep things happy and peaceful.

To me, the ammenities can be the biggest pain. It's nice to have them but you are always going to have families who just don't care or respect the ammenties, the rules or the other homeowners.

 

[NewJersey]

darn I was hoping this was another "peeing in the pool" thread.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

We have a community pool in our subdivision, but I never ever EVER go down there. I got tired of playing the bad cop to a bunch of bratty kids.

According to the CC&Rs, you're not supposed to let your children ages 13 and under go down to the pool unattended. It also says you aren't supposed to send your 13 and up child down there to 'babysit' younger siblings, but it happens all the time. I've also seen in the past where parents will drive up, drop off a vanload of kids and then drive away. That irritates me more than anything else.

TOV

 

[NCDisneyMom]

We have a community pool, also. They tried to institute some adult-only hours this year (this is the 3rd year the pool is open), and you should have seen the sparks fly! We have a community website with message boards, and they made some of these DIS threads look like child's play!

My suggestion would be to go to your HOA board, or your pool committee if you have one, and let them deal with it.

 

[buddy&wooz]

This is why I love our pool. It's a private club that requires a hefty bond to join, although the yearly membership isn't much more than community pools around here. The membership is low (maybe too low, I guess), and it's mostly young families and seniors, very few teens (and the ones that come are long-time members and all great kids.) Kids 9 & up who have passed a swim test are allowed without an adult, but must have a signed permission form. It hasn't been a problem.

We're also limited to 25 guest passes (at $5 each) per summer, and if you host a party including non-members that can eat them up fast, so very few large parties. No day camps like at the community pools.

The best part is the hours- 10am to 10pm, Sundays 12-8. I love going after 8pm!

 

[Chris2597]

Our pool is a private community pool....I think the rules state that each family can have up to 4 guest at the pool...that can get out of hand easily...as there is a key card, sign in and the guards really dont enforce anything...
I like the idea of each family getting so many guest passes per year and after that it is over...or maybe after that...extra could be purchased. I bet that would keep it down...

 

[Chris2597]

I observed another incident today at the pool. There were obviously people there that did not live in our neighborhood, members bringing more than the allowable number of guests, a woman swimming in her street clothes, kids in their street clothes, kids in the pool during adult swim (15 min. out of the hour), running....and the lifegaurds saying nothing. I wrote the pool management company and email with my concerns.