Port pool won’t open but council OKs events

Virus, mudslide doom waterpark but officials will allow beer garden, farmers market to open

Still dry, the Port Washington swimming pool will not be opened this year because of concerns about the coronavirus and a mudslide on a hill adjacent to the waterpark. Photo by Sam Arendt
By 
KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM
Ozaukee Press staff

The Port Washington outdoor pool will not open this summer, the Common Council agreed Tuesday night.

But aldermen agreed to allow the Port farmers market and the beer gardens to proceed this summer with precautions taken to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

If there are issues or the virus spikes, the city reserves the right to cancel these events, officials said.

The council only took action on those events occurring in June and July. Action is expected on August events in the coming weeks.

Aldermen voted 6-1, with Ald. Pat Tearney dissenting, to keep the pool closed citing safety concerns related to the coronavirus and a recent mudslide that took out a portion of the fencing around the pool and still threatens the area.

But Connie Schreiner, who lives on Elm Court, told aldermen she was dismayed to hear the pool may not open.

“I look forward to it every year,” Schreiner said, noting she had many fond memories of childhood days at a municipal pool. “That’s what I’m passionate about. It’s one amenity I look for in communities I live in.

“I know I can go to the lake, but it won’t be the same. The lake, there’s riptides. There’s E. coli.”

Officials, however, said it’s not practical to open the pool this year, noting that damage caused by the recent mudslide still needs to be repaired and the hillside stabilized.

“We don’t know if that hill’s stable,” Mayor Marty Becker said, noting that water is still seeping out of it.

Ald. Dan Benning noted that the fence needs to be repaired before the pool can be filled, and staff needs to be hired and trained.

The earliest that can be accomplished is Aug. 1, Recreation Director Kiley Schulte said, and the pool typically closes in mid-August when the lifeguards, many of them college students, head back to school.

The city subsidizes the pool operation by roughly $70,000 annually, Benning added.

Tearney, however, said that while he understood the reasons not to open the pool, the waterpark is important to families.

“We are in very unusual circumstances. I’m very concerned about the pressure on our young families,” he said. “It’s a tough time for a lot of families. A lot of people look to our city events to give them a little bit of a break. 

“I would hate to have us say we’re going to close the pool right now and we have 110-degree weather for a week.”

City Administrator Tony Brown agreed it’s difficult for families, noting his wife has been home with his three young children for 76 days.

“It’s challenging for all parents,” he said. “Logistically, it’s just not feasible to open the pool.”

Schreiner told aldermen that she “might not like (their decision) but I do respect it.” But if the hillside can be stabilized soon,  she asked if they would reconsider their decision.

Kirsten Coenen, 261 Indigo Dr., asked that the recreation department offer some sort of water safety program, noting that youngsters and families will likely head to the lakefront for respite this summer. Without swimming lessons or water safety programs and with no lifeguards on the beach, she predicted there would be a “spike” in drownings.

The Recreation Department plans to offer a number of outdoor programs this summer, Schulte said, including pickleball, adult and junior golf, cross country camp, Pirate cheer and the summer playground program — albeit with a limited number of slots for residents in order to practice social distancing. Park rentals will also be allowed.

Aldermen signed off on these programs, as well as a limited reopening of the senior center. Director Catherine Kiener said she plans to open the center for three or fewer days initially and offer outdoor programs such as horseshoes and bocce. 

City Hall will open on Thursday, June 4, and the library on Monday, June 8, with restrictions on capacity.

The council agreed to allow Port Main Street Inc. to offer the farmers market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning June 20.

Port Main Street has submitted a plan to handle coronavirus concerns that includes limiting the number of people visiting, encouraging social distancing and the wearing of masks and gloves.

Benning noted that the city has asked the group to provide information on restricting access at the entry and exit points.

Ald. Mike Gasper said he does not view the market as an event, noting, “I think the farmers market is akin to a grocery store.”

Fourth of July activities have been canceled, aldermen were told.

After some deliberation, they decided to move ahead with allowing the beer gardens and Lions Fest, planned for July 31 through Aug. 2 — as long as the events comply with the city’s reopening plan.

That includes limiting the number of people, spacing tables and taking measures to ensure social distancing occurs.

Dave Mueller, 913 N. Webster St., a member of the beer garden committee and chairman of Lions Fest, told aldermen that organizers are willing to do what it takes to provide a safe place for the community while allowing nonprofit organizations to raise the money they need to operate.

That’s especially true since Fish Day has been canceled, said Coenen, a member of the Rotary Club.

“This loss of income will have a grave impact on our nonprofit organizations,” she said. “Without Fish Day and the beer garden, we are looking at a deficit of approximately $10,000.”

Aldermen initially considered postponing a decision on the beer gardens and Lions Fest until the council’s June 16 meeting, saying they wanted more information on how the organizations would mitigate the coronavirus issues.

However, Gasper suggested that the city approve them now with the requirement that this information be provided so that the clubs can organize the beer gardens.

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