As states and localities ease or lift stay-at-home orders, condominium communities and homeowners associations are determining when and how to safely open or reopen pools. Community Associations Institute (CAI), the leading authority in community association education, governance, and management has released recommended pool guidelines that communities can follow while balancing what residents want and what government officials allow.
CAI has addressed numerous questions from condo and HOA board members and community managers on the topic of opening or reopening neighborhood pools during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 7, CAI hosted a one-hour live Q&A forum, Community Associations: Pools and Covid-19, where more than 1,000 community association leaders asked questions and gathered essential information from industry attorneys, community managers, and business partners. Frequently asked questions about opening or reopening pools include:
• When is it permissible to reopen a pool in a community association during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Does a community association have to open their pool if a stay-at-home order has been eased?
• Are there risks in not reopening a pool for maintenance purposes?
• Should an association have residents sign a waiver to use the pool when they reopen?
• What procedures should be enforced when a pool has reopened?
According to CAI, community associations should follow state and federal orders when considering whether they can and should open the community pool. “The real issue is compliance," says Scott Carpenter, a shareholder and managing partner at Carpenter Hazlewood in Phoenix, Ariz., and a fellow in CAI's College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). “Can associations do it in a way where they comply with federal and states restrictions and follow public health recommendations?"
“We know that swimming pools are a quintessential summertime destination for community associations, and pools represent a gathering place where residents get to know each other and build community spirit," says Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, CAI's senior vice president of government and public affairs. “As an organization representing more than 45,000 members, CAI and its membership have been working to offer solutions, guidance, and care to the more than 73.5 million Americans and millions around the world living in community associations impacted by COVID-19."