A bill that would allow several hotels to operate small pools without lifeguards was soundly defeated by the Anne Arundel County Council.
Steve Merchant, operator of two Annapolis hotels, said having a lifeguard in such small pools was a financial burden, costing hotels on average $40,000 a year.
“Having a lifeguard there can lure parents into a false sense of security,” Merchant said. “Having no lifeguards may have parents better monitoring their children.”
Yet the bill found no favor, as several safety concerns among the council left a “yea” vote from only Councilman Ed Reilly, R-District 7, the bill?s sponsor.
“It [is] obvious that it was an emotional issue, and that my peers were concerned about protection in spite of the economic cost,” he said.
About 60 hotels that have pools with a depth of 5 feet or less could have been affected.
“Five feet doesn?t address a drowning 6-year-old,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-District 4.
Councilmen Edward Middlebrooks, R-District 2, and Daryl Jones, D-District 1, both of whom represent the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport hotel district, said they had never heard of lifeguard problems at hotels prior to the bill?s introduction.
“If it?s working, why change it?” Middlebrooks said.
County Health Officer Fran Phillips said Anne Arundel has a tougher pool standard than the state?s regulations, and the bill would not lessen those rules. Most of the county?s six drownings last year were outside of pools, Phillips said.
“We don?tsee a detriment to public health, as we will still monitor the pool?s operation,” Phillips told the council.
But Thomas Freed, whose 6-year-old son Connor drowned in 2006 at a Crofton pool that had a lifeguard, spoke out against the bill.
“We shouldn?t be talking about reducing lifeguards,” Freed said. “This would be a major step back.”
