Ask The Mayor

Q. - A house in my neighborhood has a built in pool that has never had a fence around it. I was under the impression at least a 4’ fence has to protect children from falling in that pool.

Answer: The owner of the pool in question has a permit to install a special flat cover that is motorized and covers the pool so that no one can enter the pool. The cover is capable of holding even adults walking across the top and meets or exceeds the code. It is even safer than a fence because no portion of the pool water is exposed so children climbing over a fence cannot get into the pool. It also has the benefits of keeping the pool cleaner and more sanitary.

 

If you have questions about a specific property being up to code, those questions would probably best be answered our Municipal Development Director, Terry Capehart. I am sure he would be glad to explain any of the codes and how the City interprets and enforces them. To try to answer a lot of detailed questions here would be cumbersome.

 

The City is making steady progress in bringing all properties up to code and into compliance with our Neighborhood Integrity Ordinance. One thing that is overlooked sometimes is that we are dealing with a person's private property and this requires that the City be careful and fair in enforcement. The code enforcement staff works with property owners as much as possible to get them to bring their property in compliance, but there is no other ultimate solution other than compliance.

 

Citizens should notify the City of any properties that appear to be out of compliance. We have a 24 hour hotline that can be called for leaving a specific message: 972-551-6654. Our efforts are making this a cleaner, safer city and we intend to keep this a top priority.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hal Richards, Mayor