HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 07 15 Letter - Linda Moscato THERAPY POOL MEMOS
TO: DEPUTY DIRECTOR/COMMISSIONER
CADE REZNICK
FROM: LINDA MOSCATO
608 DAVID STREET
WINTER SPRINGS 32708
(407) 327-6909
lmoscato40 @yahoo.com
July 7, 2013
TO: Deputy Mayor/Commissioner Cade Resnick, District Seat 4
FROM: Linda Moscato,Winter Springs Citizen&Therapy Pool Member
SUBJECT: Health& Safety For Therapy Pool Members
On May 20th, I sent a memo to Parks & Recreation Director Chris Caldwell regarding a fully clothed
visitor in the pool wearing a white tee shirt that became a see through garment when wet. He
responded , "Dell used good judgment the way she handled the situation for a first time visitor of our
therapy pool." This visitor was allowed to stay in the pool 40 minutes. It is my understanding, after
she exited the pool,Aqua Specialist Dell Walker explained the rules to her.
Mr. Caldwell further stated, "all other issues will be handled immediately." One of the issues was
"drain flies"that have been seen on the shower stall walls. These flies breed in moist decaying matter,
as in shower floor drains, in unsanitary conditions with a possibility of disease transmission that can
affect human health. I have recently seen"drain flies" in the shower stall in the pool area. The shower
handles have not been repaired and shower heads continually have a heavy drip keeping the drains wet.
Director Caldwell said, "Dell certainly has the option to form a committee or gather input in the
suggestion box from members." On May 29th, I wrote a memo to Dell Walker, "Health and Safety of
Pool Members"with suggestions and reasons why members should shower before entering the pool,
forms for suggestion box and forming a Therapy Pool Health and Safety committee. Copies of memo
were sent to Director Caldwell and Director of Senior Center Susie Coffman. I waited 17 days for a
reply and resent the memo. I have not received an answer. A copy of Orlando Sentinel articles
regarding showering before pool entry & pool contamination were given to Dell Walker. They were
not posted on the pool announcement board. (Please note attached memos and news articles.)
Two days a week I am in the Strength and Flexibility class with instructor Sue Walker. The other three
days I sign in for open swim. From May 28th through June 30th I observed 8 men and 30 women not
showering before entering the pool. This is an example of how many people are not following pool
rules in the 10 hours a week I use the therapy pool.
Most important is having a staff member on duty at all times when the pool is open. On June 13th as I
was signing in, I heard Dell's phone conversation stating, "Friday is not a busy day. Susie can watch
the security monitors for the pool tomorrow." As stated no one was on duty the next day June 14th in
the afternoon. Again Friday 28th open swim no one was in the pool office. Quite a few other times no
one was on desk duty at open swim. This could end up to be a very serious situation if an accident
should occur to our senior citizens or handicapped members when no one is available to aide them.
Pool members value our pool. We feel blessed to have this pool and want to keep it healthy and safe
for everyone. Working together as a team would help Dell Walker with all that she has to take care of
and accomplish. Commissioner Reznick, since I never received an answer from Dell Walker, I would
appreciate your assistance in these matters. Thank you for your time and interest.
1 11
II I � I
July 12, 2013 1
I TO: Deputy Manager/Commissioner Chad Reznick 1 ' 1!
FROM: Linda Moscato,Therapy Pool Member ! I)
II SUBJECT: Therapy Pool Weather Closures
a
On July 1st, I went to the pool for my morning Strength and Flexibility class at 10:00. There was a sign
posted "pool is closed due to weather." I went home and called the therapy pool hot line number
(407) 327-8967. The message said, "Pool is closed due to weather with a"chance"of rain and
lightning storms increasing throughout the day. The pool is closed." There were no storms on this date.
On July 5" there was rain and some thunder from 11 to 12 noon. The rain stopped and it was sunny.
I called the swim hot line at 12:30 PM. The recording stated, "The weather is beautiful. The pool is
open." When I arrived at the pool the weather sign was up, "Pool is closed due to weather."
Our pool was closed July 1st, 2"d, 4th holiday, and the afternoon of the 5th. Again on July 12",the pool
closed at 12:20 PM due to thunder. There was no rain or storm. It did not reopen. I called Altamonte
Therapy Pool: They had closed, but an all clear let them reopen before 1:30. I asked a woman working
there what they used for storm warnings. She said it was"Thor Guard" by Ross Hunter. It is a big
weather meter that measures distance of lightning. Phone number is (813) 784-4865.
If it rains in the morning or early afternoon,the pool is closed and not reopened the rest of the day.
Most storms are over within an hour and move through quickly. The YMCA was open on the 1st, 5",
and 12th. If other pools are open, our pool should also be available to it citizens and members.
We all understand the therapy pool needs to be closed when inclement weather comes into our area.
Safety should be#1 in everyone's mind. We only ask that the therapy pool be reopened once the storms
have passed and and all clear is indicated.
It may be a good idea to replace the storm meter we are using and consider the Thor Guard for
measuring lightning strikes within our area. It shows all clear for the pool to reopen. A storm radio
may be useful in predicting when to close the pool.
It would be a good idea to check other pools in our area as to how and when they handle weather pool
closings. (Sanford,Altamonte Therapy Pool, Casselberry WIRZ pool, and the two YMCA's in Lake
Mary and Oviedo.)
Citizens of Winter Springs and surrounding areas value and appreciate our therapy pool. It benefits
many handicapped from birth, accident and stroke victims, those suffering from back pain, and others
with osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. Our pool exercises provide strength & flexibility.
Commissioner Reznick, my main objective is to keep our pool healthy and safe and assist other
members voice their concerns through the memos I have written. I am looking forward to your
response. Thank you.
May 17, 2013
TO: Chris Caldwell, Parks&Recreation Manager
From: Linda Moscato,Therapy Pool Member
Subject: Revealing Bathing Outfits & Florida Pool Health Laws
On May 16th at 2 PM, a pool member and a visitor entered the pool. The visitor had a kerchief on her
head and was wearing a white tee shirt and black slacks. When Dell Walker passed by, I signaled her
and told her the woman was fully dressed and stated, "There is a reason for plenty of bacteria in the
pool." When Dell walked by the 2na time I said to her"What is this a wet tee shirt contest? We are not
at the Cabbage Patch." After the woman started using the weights and the shirt was completely wet
you could see that she had no bra on and her breasts were in full view for anyone in the pool to see.
Dell did not speak to the woman. When I was in the shower room Ruth Briggs came in. She is a
retired missionary living at the New Tribes Mission complex and was a preachers wife. I told Ruth,
"You may think you are back in Africa when you see the woman in the tee shirt in the pool. You can
see her breasts through her shirt." Raquel, another member, said to me"I can see her boobies. They
are moving up and down." I told her to tell Dell when she left. Two other members in the pool were
Shirley and Bob from Lutheran Haven Retirement center. When I was leaving I asked Dell if she had
talked to the woman. She said, "I can't talk to her till she gets out of the pool." I stated, "We are
talking about nudity in a public pool in a public place." I asked her if she had called you and she said
she did not, so I told her I would call you. I called and Sherry said you were not in so I left a voice
mail and said I would e mail regarding this situation. Pool rules read"wear a lined swim suit". The
visitor may be from another country and not know or understand customs and rules in the United
States. The main concern is not just improper bathing apparel, but the fact of contamination to the pool.
A recent article in the USA Weekend April 26-28 (Page 9) edition in the Orlando Sentinel had an article
"Shower Before Pool" states, "It helps keep germs out of the water. Some live for days, even in well
maintained pools. The resilient germ crypto (short for cryptosporidium) is the#1 cause of pool related
outbreaks of diarrhea, and the cases are on the rise. Swallowing just a little contaminated water can get
you sick." This notice should be highlighted in yellow and placed on our bulletin board with a large
heading "Why You Are Required By State Law to Shower Before Entering the Pool."
Taking a shower before entering the pool is a rule many new members do not obey. I wrote you
regarding this health concern last year, but it continues to be an ongoing problem. A few helpful
suggestions would be to have pool monitors to report those that do not shower. Form a committee of
pool members to report and help resolve these problems by meeting with you and Dell. Tell new
members signing up to read the rules and have them sign a paper that they understand the rules and
will follow them to keep the pool safe and healthful for themselves and others.
One more concern regarding health at the pool are the "drain bugs"on the shower walls. These bugs
come out of the shower drains because we cannot turn the water completely off. The handles have
needed repaired for three years and continually have water running when turned off. To get rid of
these bugs spray needs to be used when showers are not in use at night and weekends.
I am looking forward to your response and hope some of my suggestions will be considered.
May 23,2013
To: Dell Walker,Therapy Pool Aquatics Specialist
From: Linda Moscato,Therapy Pool Member
Subject: Health and Safety of Pool Members
On May 20th, I sent Parks and Recreation Director Chris Caldwell a memo regarding the pool visitor
entering the pool in full clothing with a white tee shirt. His return memo stated,"Dell used good
judgment the way she handled the situation for a first time visitor of our therapy pool." It is my
understanding you spoke to the guest when she left the pool explaining what is required for future
visits. It is good to know she understands lined swim suits are required.
Director Caldwell further stated, "We do inform all new guests of the rules and guidelines of our pool
and showering is included, unfortunately we can't have someone monitoring this for every guest and
we rely on them to do it on their own." We have found through experience we cannot rely on members
showering before entering the pool as many new members and a few old members, do in fact, enter the
pool without a shower. Here are a few suggestions that will help keep the pool free of contamination.
(1) Members can be monitored with the security cameras that are in place
(2) You can elect regular open swim members to monitor those entering the pool
(3) Provide a new member a copy of the rules and ask them to sign a copy stating they understand
and will comply with same. This protects you and the City of Winter Springs. It gives you a
referral point when reminding members about showering before entering the pool.
(4) Form a committee to work with you and the instructors to provide for a healthy safe pool
(5) Replace the broken PVC wheel chairs for the handicapped so they can shower
(6) Post recent news articles in Orlando Sentinnel regarding pool health on our bulletin board
Chris Caldwell also stated, "Dell certainly has the option to form a committee or gather input in the
suggestion box from members." The suggestion box has not been an effective tool as no one sees or
receives answers to their suggestions and the paper is too small for ideas or requests.A good idea
would be a form with the name of the person making the request,date, and email address, an area for
the suggestion and an area for your response. The member would receive a response whether their
idea was accepted or rejected and the reason for your answer. A Health and Safety Committee
working with you and the instructors would be beneficial for everyone. Working together as a team
and sharing ideas would help keep our pool safe and free from contamination.
Mr. Caldwell said all other issues would be handled immediately. These issues were repairing the
shower handles and the drain bug problem. On May 28th, I did not see drain bugs on the shower
walls. Shower heads leaked less, but handles still could not fully turn off water.
My main concern, as always, is to have a safe and healthy pool for all members. This pool is a blessing
to all who use it. I have seen wonderful changes in people using the pool. For myself the therapy pool
has helped keep me healthy, increased my strength and flexibility, and given me a better way of life. I
look forward to your response and hope we can work together for a safe and healthful pool.
L, .
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