Pool closures have swim teams scrambling

Updated: October 19, 2011 7:03PM

The Illinois Department of Public Health has shut down more than 500 swimming pools state-wide, including many at local high schools.

The pools were closed as of Saturday for failure to comply with a mandate to install a new, safer drain.

Among the schools hit by the state mandate was District 228 including Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Bremen and Hillcrest. Other south suburban closures include Argo, Homewood-Flossmoor, Mount Carmel, Reavis, T.F. South and Thornton.

Elsewhere, other high school pools that have been closed include Fenwick, Glenbrook South, Libertyville, Lyons, Morton East, Morton West, Proviso East and Proviso West in the suburbs. In the Public League, pools are closed at Amundsen, Bowen, Clark, Collins, Crane, DuSable, Fenger, Harper, Hirsch, Kelvyn Park, Lindblom, Manley, Phillips, Roosevelt, Senn, Tilden, Uplift, Vocational, Von Steuben and Wells,

“The pools are closed as of right now,” District 228 superintendent Bill Kendall said. “We have been working for a number of months to get the permits to remediate the pools. It is a long process to get them.”

The new drains are required under the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. In 2002, 7-year old Virginia Graeme Baker drowned after she was trapped underwater by the suction from a hot tub drain. The act was signed into law in 2007 requiring anti-entrapment drain covers and other safety devices.

For District 228, the process of changing the pools was scheduled for this past June, but delays pushed the timetable back.

“We were making progress, and there was the assumption that if you were making progress, (the Department of Public Health) won’t close you,” Kendall said. “They sent a letter to the contrary. We didn’t think they would close us.”

With the pools now closed until the new drains can be installed, the swim teams, age group teams and swim lessons are now scrambling to continue their respective seasons at other schools’ pools.

“We’re hoping to get it fixed ASAP,” Oak Forest athletic director Sue Bonner said. “We’re scrambling right now because we can’t host practices or meets until we’re allowed back in the pool. You can’t cancel the season.”

With the added pressure of losing a significant part of the season, Kendall says the district has started a sped-up process to fix the problem. He said that the work will start early next week with the process taking an estimated two or three days as the pools are drained and the floors cut open.

Following the installation, the Department of Public Health must inspect the new drains before the pools are re-opened.

“We were never trying not to comply,” Kendall said. “We have a vendor on hold (for the work) so we can move forward. We’re doing everything in our power to get the pools open.”

Oak Forest is the defending champion in the South Suburban Blue in girls swimming and diving. Tinley Park sophomore Hannah Schultz finished 11th in the state last season in the 100-yard butterfly.

With the swimming postseason fast approaching, Oak Forest coach Drew Fowler hopes his team can make the most out of the situation.

“We can hopefully use this as a learning experience,” Fowler said. “You adjust because there’s nothing you can do about it. Things are going to happen that don’t go your way. This is nothing earth-shattering where we can’t respond.”

Oak Forest has held morning practices at Shepard this week while also focusing on biking and weight training. Other south suburban schools have opened their doors to help out the teams in need.

“We’re grateful for sharing because we’ve done the same for other schools,” Fowler said. “We’ll persevere through it.”

The pool at Richards High School in Oak Lawn remains open after the new drains were installed this summer.

“As a coach, I know this is an important time of the year (for swimmers),” Richards coach Joel Staszewski said. “It’s tragic, and I wish we could help, but our pool is almost totally utilized with us, club teams, swim lessons. I feel for that district (228). This is the time of the year you’re getting ready for sectionals, and it’s bad, really bad.”

Vernon Hills and Libertyville have made arrangements for their remaining home meets to be hosted by opposing teams and have set up workout schedules at other North Suburban Conference schools. Libertyville will practice at 5:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Mundelein and and weekday afternoons at Stevenson.

Fenwick cancelled its girls swim meet Tuesday vs. Loyola and is “scrambling” to make alternate plans for practice, according to school spokeswoman Jen Butler. Other options include Oak Park-River Forest High School, Triton College and a pool in Burr Ridge.

The Lyons North Campus pool in LaGrange has been repaired, according to school community relations director Jennifer Bialobok, and is awaiting a state inspection that would allow it to reopen. Lyons’ swim teams are unaffected because their home base is at the South Campus in Western Springs,

Contributing: Jeff Bonato, Bill Dwyer, Jane Michaels

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