ALDERMEN ACT ON SWIMMING POOL SECURITY

JACKSON -- Residents who have a swimming pool may want to check to make sure the fence or barrier that restricts entry to it conforms with the Building Officials and Code Administration (BOCA) code.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday authorized the city building inspector and his staff to survey the city later this year to determine if swimming pools in Jackson conform to the BOCA code's security fencing and barrier requirements.

The issue was raised at the board's July 1 meeting by Ward 1 Alderman Paul Sander. On Monday, the board voted to repeal the city's outdated ordinance covering swimming pools. The pools are regulated under the BOCA Code.

Sander said after the Monday meeting he had been approached recently by a number of people who expressed concerns that some swimming pools in the city did not meet the fencing requirements of the BOCA code.

Sander said the code requires all commercially installed above- and below-ground swimming pools to have a fence or some sort of natural or man-made barrier, at least 4 feet high, around the pool. No part of the fence or barrier can have a crack wider than 4 inches.

For above-ground pools, Sander said if the pool is higher than 4 feet above ground, access to the pool deck must be fenced or secured so that a young child cannot climb to the deck and fall into the pool.

Sander said the BOCA code applies only to the large, commercially installed pools. "We're not talking about the small backyard wading pools from retail or discount stores," he said. "We did not start this to be nit-picking, or to go out and look for trouble, but we do feel there are some swimming pools in town that do not conform with the fencing code requirements."

Sander said it would only take a small child falling into an unfenced pool "and everybody will be up in arms wanting to know why the city didn't enforce the code."

Sander said Jackson is fortunate such a tragedy has not occurred, "and we hope by doing this we can prevent it," he added. "We'll probably find that 95 percent of the pools in town do conform to the code requirements, but there are few pools that do not, especially newer ones, where the owner has been lax in getting a fence around the pool, or some of the older pools, where the fence has fallen down, or has holes in it."

Sander said owners of pools not in compliance with the code will be notified and given a reasonable amount of time to bring the swimming pool into compliance with the fencing and security requirements.

In other business, acting city engineer Rich Bowen reported on the status of several capital improvement projects.

Bowen said he has received the local wage rate for the West Main Street improvement project and the job is ready for bidding. The board voted 8-0 to advertise for bids on the project.

Bowen said property owners along West Main will meet with the board during its July 22 study session to discuss minor changes in access to the street.

Bowen said the west end of Jackson Trails, from the bridge to Lee Avenue, will be officially opened to traffic on Wednesday. But Bowen reported work on the new street from the bridge east to Highway 25 "is not progressing too fast."

However, he was more upbeat on the Bainbridge Road improvement project. "Another week and a half may see an end to the bulk of that project, except for some dirt work," said Bowen. "I think the people will really be happy with it."

Alderman David Ludwig said, "The residents along Bainbridge Road are going to feel like they've inherited a brand new wide street."

Bowen said plans for the East Jackson Second Phase Sewer Project are complete but will not be ready to advertise for bids until early August.

The board gave its permission to the Jackson American Legion to begin setting up concessions and stands for this year year's Jackson Homecomers. The work will begin at 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 12. Homecomers starts Tuesday, Aug. 13, and continues through Saturday, Aug. 17.