Many Upset After Several ‘Hygiene Incidents’ Close Manorhaven Pool

Many parents of campers of Port Day Camp were upset when the Town of North Hempstead suddenly revoked the camp’s permits to use Manorhaven Pool for swim lessons for the remainder of the summer.

Christine Stehn, a parent to two campers in fourth and sixth grade, said it was a “shock” when parents dropped off their children at camp Thursday to discover the lessons were cancelled just one and a half weeks before camp ends.

The Town reportedly closed the pool due to complaints from residents about feces found in the pool.

“Due to the many day camps at Manorhaven Pool that have been exceeding their permitted number of campers, as well as an unusually high number of hygiene incidents at the pool while day camps were swimming, we were forced to close the pool down on numerous occasions so that it could be chemically treated, according to Department of Health guidelines,” Bosworth said in a statement. “This lost time was an unfortunate inconvenience to our many resident pool goers.”

The pool was reportedly closed four times this season for this reason, but Port Washington resident and parent Diane Palermo said Port Day Camp was only at the pool for one of those occasions.

Some parents felt the camp was being unfairly blamed for the situation. They responded by writing letters to Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth and Parks Commissioner Jill Weber. Both Stehn and Palermo penned letters they shared with Patch.

“I understand that the sanitary conditions of the pool are top priority, however, since I can remember the pool has closed multiple times during a season because because of poop in it," Stehn wrote in her letter. "Obviously feces in a public pool is unacceptable but do you real believe that 3rd-6th graders are to blame? The staff at the pool should be checking those very young children who should be wearing swim diapers and fining those parents who don't have their child in one before blaming campers.”

Palermo said she received an email from the camp last week regarding a Department of Health inspector making a surprise visit. In her letter, Palermo said the inspector called Port Day Camp the best run swim program that she has ever seen in all of her years working for the Department of Health.

In response to the many complaints on the issue, the Town reached a compromise to balance the needs with the camps and the rest of the community.

The Town will continue to allow day camps to use the pool when it is closed to the public, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., until the end of camp season on Friday, Aug. 12. After 11 a.m. and until closing, no camps will be allowed to use the pool.

The Town originally gave the camp the option of relocating to Whitney Pond Pool or North Hempstead Beach park, but parents were not happy with these options in their letters.

But now that the Town has created the compromise, the camp is happier about the situation. Port Day Camp will get a section of the pool assigned to them during the hours of 9-11 a.m.

“We are happy that the children will be back at the pool and continuing with their swim lessons,” Donna Preminger, Executive Director of Port Washington Children’s Center, wrote in an email.

Patch file photo