Pool Closed due to Harris County Inspection [Updated]

Unfortunately, after a recent inspection from the Harris County Department of Health, several violations were discovered that the board is addressing. Update expired drain and skimmer covers. Install non-glass, unbreakable mirrors in the pool bathrooms. Non-climbable fence is needed between the tennis courts and the pool. The first two are the only issues keeping the pool closed, and we expect to address them within two weeks. The last issue regarding the fence requires a 30-day period to address. Please check back here for any updates on when the pool will reopen.

[Update from Jay Jackson]

The updated skimmer covers are devices used on the suction side of the pump to prevent anyone from being trapped by clothing or body parts getting in a skimmer or bottom drain.  While the covers we have in place are functionally sound the county has a maximum lifespan.  These have been ordered and the installation was scheduled to start yesterday (11/1/2024). There are 28 of these covers if I remember correctly.

The installation of the “shatterproof” mirrors to replace the existing mirrors it to prevent, in the event of breakage, glass getting into the pool.  This will be addressed but is not a cause for the pool to be closed.

The non climbable fence is a result of code changes, enforcement and classification of our pool. We are looking at options. We have an initial plan of installing 270 feet of non-climbable fence between the pool decking and the tennis fence. We DO NOT like this as a solution and are looking at alternatives including replacing the non-compliant chain link fences material with a non-climbable material.  The alternative would not require any loss of pool decking areas. We are still waiting on pricing and availability. The county has agreed to allow our permit before this fence is corrected as long as we have the skimmer suction side covers in place. The most important part of this process is the pool is safe. With 5 drownings in Harris County in the past year the attention on pool access and the skimmer covers is very high on the list.

We have some other gaps in the fences where openings greater than 4″ have developed. Most likely these are from shifting of the fence from Hurricane Beryl. These will all be corrected by the fence company when the fence is deployed.

There were also questions about the direction of the fence gate opening at the back of the Community Center. This gate serves as egress from the community center in the event of an emergency and not for pool access.  We will likely change this in a couple steps.  Step one will be converting the gate to open either way with a magnetic lock and ultimately changing the egress route from the community center to not exit into the pool area and removing this gate as an entrance to the pool entirely. This is a larger project and not a requirement of the pool permitting process.

Harris County’s inspector has assured us as soon as the covers are in place he will revisit the property and get the permit in place for us to continue operations. We are working hard to get this resolved.  A-Beautiful Pools has been working on this daily since closure.

During the closure we have taken the opportunity to perform a yearly maintenance on the heater and complete its inspection and it is ready to go and some other items that have been on the list. The handicap chair lifts (2) have been repaired as well with new internals. Control systems are being refurbished, testing probes replaced, acid pumps replaced, and some additional weather proofing added to those systems.