GROVEPORT, Ohio — Just two days before the Fourth of July, the city of Groveport made the decision to limit who is allowed in during Friday’s city council meeting.
The vote was unanimous after the council said there have been issues at the pool since it opened for the season.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday when Groveport police said a group assaulted a lifeguard on duty.
It took a 16-hour investigation, looking through BMV records to track down four teens they said are responsible. Those four teens, police said are from Columbus and were day-pass visitors to the pool.
“One of our lifeguards was assaulted and then nobody knew who they were and there weren't really any cameras to figure out who it was,” said Guy Mace, a lifeguard at the center.
Here's what the council decided on Friday:
- Only those with season passes to the pool are allowed.
- Only those over 14 are allowed without a parent or guardian.
- Cameras should be installed at the pool as soon as possible.
- A police officer will be assigned to the pool for certain hours.
“So we know who's coming and going while we put safety measures in place,” said city administrator B.J. King.
There was a lot of discussion at Friday's meeting about whether residents of the city, who don't have season passes, should still be allowed to visit the aquatic center.
“The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was only season pass and not really an option for residents. Granted, they can buy a season pass, but I feel like it I feel it was a pretty good resolution,” said Mace.
Council said that the rules will be discussed at later meetings.
These rules are effective immediately, so anyone looking to go to the aquatic center during the holiday weekend must have a season pass.