At the height of the summer season, Manorhaven Pool has revoked permits for all camps from using the pool facilities after several consecutive closures occurred because campers had vomited or defecated in the pool. According to officials, an excessive number of complaints had been received about the closure.
In a Town of North Hempstead release, Supervisor Judi Bosworth states, “we have had a larger than normal and escalating number of pool closings due to hygiene incidents (defecation and vomiting) in the sections of the pool where camps are assigned. This week we had incidents requiring the pool closing for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The week of July 25, we were closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Each closure period lasted approximately two hours, some types of incidents can take three hours to resolve. It is not acceptable to have so many closures. Although I understand that some feel differently, our staff has verified that every incident arose in the camp section of the pool, not in any other areas, including the zero-entry area that is used by very young children and their parents. That is what led to our decision that no camp will be permitted to use Manorhaven Pool during the regular public pool hours.”
Residents of Port Washington whose children are in local camps have received emails from their children’s camp director notifying them of this change and urged parents to contact the town to protest the ban.
Port Washington Children’s Center executive director Donna Preminger stated, “The Port Washington Children’s Center has been swimming at the Manorhaven Pool for nearly two decades and have never had an issue.”
The renovated Whitney Pool in Manhasset is an alternative offered to camps by the town as well as North Hempstead Beach Park, which is nearby but has no pool.
