Let me first state that I am, like most other residents in this neighborhood,a dues-paying Home Owner’s Association member.
Ok…every month we get a newsletter from the HOA detailing mundane stuff such as proper flag display procedure, board of directors’ meetings, school events, etc.Since it is getting to be quite warm out, in this month’s newsletter, there is a short blurb about proper pool protocol. We have a public pool that is paid for by HOA dues for upkeep,maintenance and what have you.It’s nothing fancy…a standard size pool with three tiled racing stripes on the bottom, surrounded by concrete. There are probably around 20-30 chaise lounges and 5 or 6 tables with umbrellas and smallish chairs that sit on the concrete deck area around the pool. We also have a ‘kiddie’ pool that is about 2 ft deep and a pair of brick-surrounded toilets next to the pool for general use.
In the monthly newsletter we recieved yesterday, it says that there have already been problems with vandalism,people breaking the lock and using the pool,that sort of thing. It also details the vandalism that took place last year during ‘pool season’. There were incidents of feces (both children and adult) in the pool, diapers stuffed in the toilets and found in the pool,dog feces in the pool and full rolls of toilet paper jammed in the toilets, among other things.It also states that the HOA went $3,000 over budget for upkeep/maintenance of the pool. That’s understandable,given the amount of vandalism.
Now the thing in the newsletter that really irked me was this statement:
.
What does THAT mean? Does that mean if they decide that the HOA dues aren’t enough they won’t open the pool at all?CG said I was going overboard when we discussed this last night,but I leave it to you,the Dopers,to make that call. I said if they don’t open it, people are going to break in or jump the fence anyway and use it no matter what. I also said that since we are part of the HOA and our dues go towards the pool maintenance (among other things)they should suck it up and open it and if they can’t afford to open it because they don’t have enough money,raise dues.The dues aren’t that high anyway.I am part of the public that PAYS for that pool and though I didn’t use it every single day,I did use the pool at least 2 times a week during the summer when it was opened.
The person(s) I am really mad at are the asshats who have caused the vandalism,I guess.:mad: They are disrespectful of public property and think that they can do whatever they want to it.
I don’t think its in the HOA interest to keep a serviuce available if it is being abused. If they do drop using the pool, they can either
Reduce your dues
or
show where the money that was being spent on the pool is going to go.
It’s a pity that you are going to lose the pool, but blame your neighbours, not the HOA.
I’d agree with that,TOF if the pool were an impermanent thing that could be easily taken down. BUT it would probably cost more money to destroy the pool area than it would to maintain it. If they decide to keep a chain and lock on the gate because they can’t afford to open it,people are going to jump the fence or cut the locks and use it regardless.
I’ve been to several HOA meetings in the past two years that we’ve lived here and people always complain about the vandalism but the HOA commitee who is in charge of the pool never really seems to do anything.
IDBB
So, they went $3000 over budget on the pool, right? Was that the only overage, or were they over budget on a lot of other stuff, too? If they were in budget on every thing else, I’d rather they just raised dues a little to keep the pool, and install some security measures.
If they do keep the pool closed, they need to drain it to eliminate the temptation for people to break in. On a side note, who the hell wants to go swimming in March? We’ve been having a warm weather for a few weeks, but I’d think the pool would still be damn cold.
CrazyCatLady–that’s a good question.I think I"ll email the head of the HOA for a budget report from last year and find out if they were over on other things beside the pool.
And if they drained it,well…there’d still be temptation to use it. The hordes of skateboarders around here are dying to get their hands on an unfilled pool, I’m sure.
I don’t know where you’re at (since you choose not to list a location),but around here it’s been up and down like crazy since the end of Feb. I know yesterday it got up into the 80’s. That’s almost pool weather for some people.
Well, if they don’t open the pool, the money they save on regular maintenance should pay for taking care of all the vandalism that takes place. :rolleyes:
On the other hand, if they have a pool and don’t open it, does that count as an attractive nuisance?
Eth–it would probably count as an attractice nuisance and even if they didn’t open it,it would still be vandalized from people jumping over the fence to use the facilities.
The pool was one of the reasons we chose to buy a house in this neighborhood.It’s one of the few neighborhoods around here that have a private pool for use by the homeowners.
If having the pool helped you decide to buy your house, wouldn’t being restricted from using the pool lower your home’s value? Maybe you should put that in your email to the HOA.
(But write it better than I did - I’m too busy mumbling “asshats, asshats, asshats, asshats”)
Have they ever caught and prosecuted anyone who broke into the pool? Why is it such an on-going problem?
I think they need to beef up security. Better fences, locks, motion detectors, cameras, a security guard maybe?
This sounds like an accidental drowning just waiting to happen.
If it were my neighborhood, I’d be agreeable to a slight increase in the HOA fees if it meant better security at the pool, rather than closing it completely.
Biblio–I don’t know whether they’ve actually CAUGHT anybody or not.The reasons you stated…better security,needing a guard,what not has been brought up in past HOA meetings but t he HOA has poohpoohed those things,saying it would raise dues and giving asshat answers that really aren’t answers at all but a way of getting around the question.
It IS an accidental drowning waiting to happen. Too many times to count last summer,I saw young kids (from ages 10 and under)running about unsupervised (which is against HOA guidlines),causing trouble and hurting themselves and each other.I am suprised nobody has accidentally drowned or gotten seriously hurt at the pool yet (it’s been open almost 4 years from my understanding,though we moved in only 2 years ago).
Maybe a serious accident is what it will take to get the HOA committee to realize that we need a lifeguard a nd security cameras at the pool to lessen vandalizing.
I can’t prove it but I suspect that the vandalizing isn’t even coming from kids in our neighborhood. Several times last year,an unmarked van came into the neighborhood,pulled up to the pool and dumped 5-10 kids out by the pool.The lock on the gate is SUPPOSED to keep people out but it’s easy to reach up and over the top of the gate and turn the handle from the inside,letting one’s self into the pool without using the ‘code’ set by the HOA to get in.
But again…without evidence,I cannot PROVE who is doing the vandalizing and neither can anyone else.AFAIK,they’ve never been caught in the act, other than the asshats who jump the fence and are caught swimming when the gate has been chained shut.
Install a security camera and intrusion detection system. Take any offenders to civil court in order to recover damages. Beyond that, if you have people shitting in your pool during operating hours, there are issues that legal measures may not solve. After all, there is no accounting for stupidity, no matter how painful it ought to be.
Incidentally, your HOA is wide open to all sorts of criminal negligence and attractive nusiance lawsuits when the pool can be accessed by unauthorized people because “it’s easy to reach up and over the top of the gate and turn the handle from the inside,letting one’s self into the pool without using the ‘code’ set by the HOA to get in.”
Zenster–my guess is that barbed wire would ruin the nice ‘family’ look of the pool and be out of the question. They are making due with spiked tips on the top of the iron fence around the pool.
Complaints HAVE been made at past HOA meetings about unauthorized persons coming in and using the pool,but the HOA rep just kind of ignored t he comments.
Their solution to keeping unwanteds out?Change the code from a simple,4 digit code to an 8 digit code that is hard to remember.But even then…there were times when I was down at the pool,chilling and reading or something and a harried mom with six kids would stand there at the gate, trying to remember the code while all of the kids would poke at her,yell, pull on her swimsuit/swim gear bag,whine and what not and she would get frustrated and start to yell at the people on the INSIDE to please let her in because she’d forgotten the damned code. I’m sure this has happened more than once, and I’m sure it’s not always a mom with six whiny kids in tow,either.
I don’t know what they’re going to do about the pool this year. All I can say is that I’m glad that CG is building a deck in our backyard and I can sun in peace without having to go to the pool to do so. jklann–you’re right.Now that I think about it…with the repeated instances of various feces being found IN the pool itself,I’m not sure I want to use it anymore which is sad because it is a nice pool and as a member of the HOA, I help pay for it’s rather shoddy upkeep.
Then you need a guard or attendant checking ID cards or something. The fact that people can just reach over the fence and let themselves in, or ask others to let them in is just too easy for non-members to get in. Would people be angry with an additional charge of say, $200 or so for pool priviledges?
My pool issues photo IDs (we supply the photo) and they’re checked at the gate when we drive in to the parking lot.
Am I correct in assumiing there’s no lifeguard? That seems dangerous. I’m almost positive here in Maryland all pools must have a lifeguard on duty.
Biblio–yup no lifeguard despite the hazards.I don’t know if it’s been fixed since the last time I used the pool but the handrails on the steps were extremely wobbly. Whether that was due to not putting them in right or from children swinging on them,sliding on them and what not or a little of both,I don’t know.
I wouldn’t mind paying an extra $200 for pool priveleges a nd having an ID to get in.I"d LOVE it if there were a security guard,cameras and a lifeguard but so far,it’s a no go.
I’m wondering what I’d have to do to get a petition going (even if I had to walk all over the neighborhood myself)to get these things up put in place.
Anybody have any experience with that?I’d love the advice.
