Home Pools

As the destiny of Sunset Pool continues to be debated I have often wondered if the City has forgotten why the pools were constructed in the first place. Wasn’t it to give the community a healthy and safe place for children to swim?
I believe the first Sunset Pool was built in 1928, Douglass Pool in 1932 and Yankee Pool in 1937.

MIDDLETOWN – Portable and inflatable swimming pools can be a fun and inexpensive way to beat the summer heat, but city officials want to remind residents that such backyard pools are still subject to city safety regulations and guidelines.

City Planning Director Marty Kohler said under the building code a permit is required for any portable swimming pool that exceeds two feet in depth and are more than 10 feet in width. A permit is also required for pools with re-circulating pumps, he said.

Kohler said there are two major safety concerns associated with the need for permits: electrical shock and making sure pools are secured to protect children. Kohler said city inspectors want to make sure that residents have their pools plugged into a properly grounded electrical system and they are within a fenced in area to keep out toddlers and children.

“We’ve had some frightening instances where residents have put these pools in their front yard and run ungrounded extension cords across a wet lawn with no fence around it,” Kohler said. “People have even placed these pools underneath electrical lines, which is also not a good idea.”

City code calls for the following:

• A building permit application must be completed that includes a plot plan that indicates that the pool is within a fenced area with self locking gates and at least four feet in height.  The plan also must indicate that the pool is located at least 6 feet from any structures, underground septic systems or 10 feet from overhead electric lines.

• The building permit application must also indicate if the pool contains an electrical re-circulating pump. If the pool contains an electrical re-circulating pump, it must be connected to a ground faulted electrical source.  The plot plan must indicate the location of the source.

• If the pool contains an electrical re-circulating pump and a ground fault supply does not exist, then an electrical permit must also be completed in order to install the required ground fault electrical receptacle.

The building permit application charge is $70 if a ground fault supply is in place or the owner installs the ground fault supply, Kohler said.  The charge is $120.50 if a contractor is hired to install an new ground fault supply. After the first inspection, the city will charge a $35 re-inspection fee for each additional inspection needed to verify compliance with the safety standards.