Melissa Voss | Editor
For Hartford locals, it has been weeks of waiting for the city council to make a final decision on whether or not to open the town’s pool. With Sioux Falls going back and forth on if and when to open their pools, surrounding towns have followed suit. But Hartford has decided to keep their pools open during the city council meeting that took place on June 1, officially opening this past Monday, June 8.
Taking precautions of protecting locals against COVID-19, the pool will be allowing for only 50% occupancy, which totals out to 95 patrons, to enforce social distancing and an increase the amount of sanitizing on all fronts. Hours will also need to be limited due to the lack of current staff.
The biggest concern revolving around opening the pool would be how to work out admissions. Currently, some towns such as Beresford are only allowing town citizens or school district members to be admitted in the pool. The pool’s staff stated that through talking with many attorneys, this would not be seen as discriminatory, but as a safety precaution for social distancing. The council discussed that admissions should not be limited to just Hartford residents, that if someone pays to be in there they should be allowed to be in there; that if it becomes an issue in the future, it can be discussed then.