It was certainly exciting news to hear so many of our businesses and restaurants would be able to open, and many are working hard to meet the restrictions of social distancing. When Governor DeWine announced Thursday, May 14 that public pools would be able to open on May 26, we immediately spoke to the Champaign Family Y and awaited the mandates for safe operations regarding the standards set forth by the State of Ohio Public Health Director.

The three page list of guidance and protocols surrounding continuous sanitizing, social distancing and crowd restrictions have made it impractical to open for the 2020 pool season. Our primary concern is for the safety of our patrons and staff, and unfortunately it takes more than just chlorine and sunshine to ensure that. With the general layout of the Wendell B. Stokes Memorial Pool, there is little assurance that adequate distancing for either swimmers or visitors can be consistently maintained and enforced.

We’ve all had to adjust to some very difficult changes this year, and as much as we would like to “open as usual” this year, it just isn’t feasible. We will plan on seeing everyone in 2021.