Residents are eager to see the pools located in the Lake County portion of The Villages reopen at night.
The pools at Chula Vista, Southside, Hilltop and Paradise were ordered two months ago to begin closing at dusk by the Lake County Office of the Florida Department of Health.
In an April 8 inspection, a department of health inspector determined that after nearly two decades, the pools don’t have the proper lighting to allow for night-time swimming, a tradition long enjoyed at those pools. The pools had been open until 11 p.m.
District Manager Janet Tutt said the district has done exhaustive work trying to determine if those pools should be grandfathered in under the old rules.
“To quote Mr. (Sam) Wartinbee (of District Property Manager), we’re about ready to cry ‘uncle’ on that point,” Tutt said.
Installing the lighting to meet the health department’s rules could run about $25,000 to $30,000 per pool.
Villager Dick Curtis has a beef with the methodology of the inspection.
Presenting a copy of the inspection report, he points out that the inspection was conducted between 1:45 and 2:30 p.m.
“Those are daylight hours. How can you tell anything about lighting at that hour?” he asked.
The inspection indicates that “artificial lighting shall be provided at all swimming pools which are to be used at night or which do not have adequate natural lighting so that all portions of the pool, including the bottom, may be readily seen without glare.”
Like many others, he wants to see the pools reopened at night.
“Having the pools open at night is what makes living here more attractive,” Curtis said.