Posted on 07/08/2012 7:07:06 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Pools open to the public were supposed to have chair lifts installed for people with disabilities in time for this summer, but after a wave of protests, the federal order was delayed until January.
Still, some of the country's 300,000 or so pools at hotels, parks and gyms continue to fight the requirement.
Vestavia Hills pool near Birmingham, Ala., is one of thousands of pools that scrambled to get a chair lift installed by May.
At first glance, it looks like a lifeguard chair, only low to the ground. It's meant to help people with disabilities get in and out of the water.
"It goes really, really slow," says Candia Cole, Vestavia's pool supervisor."
May was the second installation deadline set by the U.S. Justice Department as part of a new provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But then many owners of the affected pools complained. Each chair lift costs as much as $8,000. And most hotel pools don't have lifeguards to operate them.
The elderly, people with arthritis or someone who is missing a limb could benefit from the chair lift, but Cole says so far no one's asked to use it.
"If it's used or not, you know, it's here, so we got it — ready to go," she says. "Come on down! The water's fine!"
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
My husband and I went to a hotel....there were a LINE of about 10 handicapped spaces available along the building...the parking lot was very full, and our dog was in our vehicle for the night....soooo...we parked IN a handicapped one (right below our room)....like WHO is going to come and monitor a hotel parking lot for handicapped violations, esp. when they are empty? Course, don’t get me started on “compact” parking spaces....
My “public pool” is evaluating their options. First option is about $8000 to comply with the law. Second option is to become a “private pool”. We have checked with lawyers, and it looks like we can legally deny access to people who used to use the pool and then not have to install the chair lift. “Equal access” doesn’t always result in greater access.
Each chair lift costs as much as $8,000.
Ok who gave Obama money and votes?.
I have mixed feelings about this. I’m visualizing a small town with one pool and limited resources. They should be exempt. I’m thinking of my community though which has multiple pools. One at least could have one of these devices and those special stairs for getting in and out (I’ve actually used those on days when I’m a bit stiff). My fitness center has three pools. One of them has this device and the stairs. It’s the indoor pool. I saw a young man in a wheel chair though who had the upper body strength to swing himself out of the chair and into the water and back out again - no legs. But in another 20 years, what will he do. Motel 6, nope. Small one pool towns nope. Maybe local option and market forces but not federal government. That’s what I’m thinking.
As governor, Ragan signed tax increases and a gun control law. Just saying.....
When was that ?? over a half century ago???????? Even God changes his mind now and then.
If so, motels could concession their pool to a private company and guests would have to pay in order to use the pool, making it a “private” pool. To me, a motel pool seems like it is a private pool anyway, but apparently not.
If so, motels could concession their pool to a private company and guests would have to pay in order to use the pool, making it a “private” pool. To me, a motel pool seems like it is a private pool anyway, but apparently not.
If we require “membership” or charge for use, we would be considered “public”. Because of the way our HOA is organized, we have about 500 “owners” of the pool. Individual “owners” can give access to individual “guests”. But, the HOA cannot give access to anyone (for a fee or not), and individuals cannot give access to a group (e.g. scout pack) or we’d be considered public.
I may have things a little off but the end result is that we need to tell about 75 people they can no longer use the pool because there’s no way we can set up a membership or fee and not be “public”.
“...our neighborhood “Kroger” grocery store has about 20 handicapped parking spaces”
In my area, members of the entitled class simply park in the fire lanes.
Yep....that’s why.
A little misdirection...with selected industries/pet projects.
Every business with a pool should shut it down and hang a sign on it saying "Closed by order of the US Department of Justice."
Respond to every tyrannical edict in like manner, and eventually the tyrants will be overthrown.
Yes, well, let’s elect Mitt Romney and hopefully THAT ill advised federal intrusion will be nullified, too.
I really really really HATE Washington D.C. bureaucrats forcing their rules upon us...it is totally anathema to why we became the United States.
Not an easy one to be sure. For those who balk at the motel providing handicap accessible pool, what about handicap acceptable room?
And, for pools that are owned and operated using tax money, the handicapped are usually tax-payers, just as non-handicapped swimmers.
As to the safety issue, one who has mobility issues on dry-land often find those issues removed in the water.
And, our private membership pol installed a chair lift more than 10 years ago. So it is not out of realm to plan and install one.
And, it is a free-market consideration. If those who do not wish to bring up the pools to code can close them and compete with the motels who chose to keep them open at a higher cost. There are times that i travel and do not have time for a pool, so that is not a factor in where I stay. Other times I do want to. Ate use of a pool, and will choose accordingly.
I sometimes listen to it. 9/10 there’s a whiney tone to the correspondent’s voice about this injustice or that. If they did indeed do a story about the over-burdened small business, then good for them.
My grandchildren wil grow not knowing what a public pool was.
My grandchildren wlil grow up not knowing what a public pool was.
My grandchildren wlil grow up not knowing what a public pool was.
we've already filled in 2 of the 3 pools that we have at our various apartment buildings. They simply were not worth the hassle and cost.
M/M Lifeguard.... could you carry me up to the high dive, I need to practice my swan dive....
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